Acute subdural haematoma: better results with neurosurgeons than general surgeons.

During an eleven year period, 123 patients with acute subdural haematoma were treated in our unit. The first 63 patients were managed by general surgeons with a mortality rate of 80.9 per cent. Good recovery among survivors was 4.7 per cent. The subsequent 60 patients were managed by neurosurgeons. The mortality rate then dropped to 60 per cent and the rate of good recovery rose to 21.6 per cent. This improvement in outcome is statistically significant (P less than 0.02 and P less than 0.05 respectively). Early operation plus thorough evacuation of haematoma by craniectomy or craniotomy were the main factors found responsible for the improvement.