Outcome After Decompressive Craniectomy for Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction: Timing of the Intervention.

Background: Based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), clinical guidelines for the treatment of space-occupying hemispheric infarct employ age (≤60 yr) and time elapsed since stroke onset (≤48 h) as decisive criteria whether to perform decompressive craniectomy (DC). However, only few patients in these RCTs underwent DC after 48 h.

Objective: To study the association between the timing of DC and (un)favorable outcome in patients with space-occupying middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarct undergoing DC.

Do older patients with acute or subacute subdural hematoma benefit from surgery?

Purpose: According to the international guidelines, acute subdural hematomas (aSDH) with a thickness of >10 mm, or causing a midline shift of >5 mm, should be surgically evacuated. However, high mortality rates in older patients resulted in ongoing controversy whether elderly patients benefit from surgery. We identified predictors of outcome in a single-centre cohort of elderly patients undergoing surgical evacuation of aSDH or subacute subdural hematoma (saSDH).

Neurologic Outcome After Decompressive Craniectomy: Predictors of Outcome in Different Pathologic Conditions.

Objective: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) has been proposed as a lifesaving treatment in patients with elevated intracranial pressure, but its effectiveness on reaching a favorable neurologic outcome remains unclear. We identified predictors of outcome in a large, single-center cohort of patients undergoing DC for different pathologic conditions.

Methods: This retrospective study included all patients undergoing DC from 2006 to 2014.