Freehand technique for putaminal hemorrhage--technical note.

We designed a new endoscopic surgical procedure for putaminal hemorrhage (freehand technique) and evaluated its effectiveness and safety in patients with putaminal hemorrhage. Computed tomography (CT) data sets from 40 healthy patients were used. The CT data were transformed into three-dimensional images using AZE VirtualPlace(TM) Plus. The nasion and external auditory foramen were the intraoperative reference points. The median point from medial of the globus pallidus to the insula was the target point. The location of the burr hole point was 80-125 mm above and 27.5 mm lateral to the nasion, and the direction was parallel to the midline and a line drawn from the burr hole to the ipsilateral external auditory foramen. This point was used for 15 patients with putaminal hemorrhage. In all cases, only one puncture was required, and there were no complications. The median surgical time was 91.7 minutes, and the median hematoma removal rate was 95.9%. No recurrent bleeding or operative complications occurred. The freehand technique is a simple and safe technique for patients with putaminal hemorrhage. We believe that this technique of endoscopic hematoma evacuation may provide a less-invasive method for treating patients with putaminal hemorrhage.