[Chronic subdural hematoma: a review of the literature. Part 1].

The first part of this publication is a review of the literature on the history, etiopathogenesis, clinical signs, and diagnosis of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). The incidence rate of CSDH is 2-11 cases per 100000 inhabitants. In spite of many anatomopathologic and biochemical studies, the pathomechanism of CSDH has not been fully explained. Although head computed tomography is the method of choice for the diagnosis of CSDH, magnetic resonance imaging can provide much more structural information on the hematoma. The pathophysiology of mental changes and hemiparesis in CSDH remains unclear. However, disturbances of cerebral haemodynamics seem to play a major role.