Background:
Decompressive craniectomy or craniotomy is an effective method for reducing intracranial pressure in patients with traumatic brain injury. However, contralateral intracranial hematoma is a rare but serious complication. Recently, the endoscopic technique has been described as a minimally invasive, safe, and effective treatment for intracranial hematoma evacuation. To the best of our knowledge, no technical report has described bilateral traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (TICH) evacuation using a neuroendoscope.
Case description:
A 62-year-old man was admitted to the hospital after a fall due to intoxication. His initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score was 14. Initial computed tomography (CT) revealed a right temporal skull fracture, bilateral frontal and right temporal tip contusions, and acute subdural hematoma. During admission, his condition deteriorated to a GCS score of 6 points, and follow-up CT showed hemorrhagic progression of left frontal and right temporal contusion with midline shift and brainstem compression. Emergency surgery was performed for TICH in the left frontal lobe and right temporal lobe. A burr hole was made in each of the left frontal and right temporal regions, and we used a neuroendoscope to assist in the evacuation of the hematoma. Postoperative CT showed adequate evacuation of the hematoma. The patient regained consciousness and was discharged after 2 months.
Conclusion:
Bilateral TICH was rapidly and sequentially removed by burr-hole craniotomy and endoscopic hematoma evacuation without rapid decompression by craniotomy. The hematoma did not increase. This report demonstrates that the endoscopic-assisted technique allows the safe treatment of bilateral TICH.