Stroke Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Stroke, including details on treatment, recovery, rehabilitation, signs, symptoms.

Bifrontal decompressive craniotomy in a 6-month-old infant with posttraumatic refractory intracranial hypertension.

El-Watidy S

Neurosurgery Division, KKUH, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia. smfwat@yahoo.com

OBJECTIVE: To document the outcome of bifrontal decompressive craniotomy (BDC) in an infant who developed refractory intracranial hypertension (IH) and massive brain infarction following severe head injury. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 6-month-old girl sustained a severe closed head injury in a car accident. Her Glasgow coma score dropped from 10 to 6/15 within 6 h after admission, and her pupils became dilated and fixed. CT brain scans showed severe brain swelling and extensive infarction in both cerebral hemispheres with no grey-white mater differentiation. She developed a state of refractory IH despite maximal medical treatment. INTERVENTION: She had BDC and duraplasty carried out 8 h after admission. She made a quick recovery to Glasgow outcome score 3, and her total hospital stay was 10 weeks. CONCLUSION: BDC can be a life-saving procedure for infants with refractory IH and massive brain infarction.

Published 4 July 2005 in Pediatr Neurosurg, 41(3): 151-4.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Stroke Research Today. All Rights Reserved.