[Significance of hematoma irrigation with trephination therapy (HITT) in the management of acute subdural hematoma].

Decompressive craniectomy in the management of acute traumatic subdural hematoma (acute SDH) has been advocated as a treatment for the cerebral edema or swelling associated with it. The bony decompression with dural grafting seems successful in some patients, but surely enhances cerebral swelling and exacerbates edema in others. Whether the external or internal decompression could be justified is therefore a subject of controversy for the surgical treatment of choice. The authors, herein, proposed the new method with small craniectomy, 3 cm in diameter and irrigation with Nelaton's catheter for acute SDH with cerebral edema or swelling, that is the hematoma irrigation with trephination therapy (HITT) and performed it in 27 adult cases, 19 to 84 years of age (20 males and 7 females), who were transported within 24 hours after trauma and hospitalized in Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Tokyo Hospital during the period from January, 1982 to January, 1984, whose Glasgow coma scale points were 3 to 8 on admission, 16 cases (59%) of whom showed unilateral or bilateral absence of light reflex. The patients were all placed under the intensive care, using artificial ventilation (27 cases, 100%), hemodynamic management with Swan-Ganz catheter insertion (10 cases, 37%), continuous intracranial pressure monitoring (27 cases, 100%) and barbiturate therapy (13 cases, 48%). Ten cases (37%) recovered, 3 (11%) fell in vegetative state, 2 of whom died of medical complications afterwards and 14 (52%) could not avoid progressive deterioration to result in brain death.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)