Routine early CT scanning after craniotomy: is it effective for the early detection of postoperative intracranial hematoma?

Background: Postoperative intracranial hematoma (POIH) is a frequent sequela secondary to cranial surgery. The role of routine early postoperative computed tomography (CT) scanning in the detection of POIH remains controversial. The study was aimed at analyzing the effect of routine early CT scanning after craniotomy for the early detection of POIH.

Methods: Routine early postoperative CT scanning was performed at our institute, and a retrospective study was conducted to analyze the data. POIH was defined as an intracranial hematoma requiring surgical management.

Results: A total of 1,148 patients undergoing craniotomy were included in this study; 28 of these patients developed POIH. The majority of POIH cases (15/28, 54 %) were detected during the first 6 h following craniotomy. A routine CT scan was performed on all included patients but two; however, CT scans detected only 16 POIH cases. During the first 6 h, the rate at which CT scans detected POIH was 1.9 % (15/786); subsequently, the rate decreased to only 0.3 % (1/360; p < 0.05, compared with the rate during the first 6 h). Among patients without clinical manifestations, the rate at which the routine post-craniotomy CT scan detected POIH was only 0.7 % (5/721) (p < 0.05, compared with the incidence of POIH). Finally, among high-risk POIH patients, the POIH-positive rate of routine CT scanning was elevated.

Conclusions: It appears that routine early CT scan is ineffective for the detection of POIH in patients undergoing craniotomy. However, if the strategy for routine scanning can be improved, its effect may be beneficial.