Delayed traumatic intracerebral hematoma: report of 15 cases operatively treated.

Fifteen cases of delayed traumatic intracerebral hematoma (DTICH) operatively treated are reported. Patients who are awake or only drowsy on admission (Coma Grades 1 and 2, Grady scale) often undergo dramatic sudden neurological deterioration 48 to 72 hours after admission. Emergency computed tomographic scanning and prompt craniotomy for hematoma evacuation yield excellent clinical results in the majority of cases. Patients presenting in deeper grades of coma (Grades 3 to 5, Grady scale) who develop DTICH do quite poorly, often because the diagnosis is difficult to make and consequently is delayed. The development of DTICH is in our experience highly unpredictable, and often no clear secondary cause (hypercapnia, hypoxia, bleeding diathesis) can be demonstrated.