Prediction of Chronic Subdural Hematoma in Minor Head Trauma Patients

Objective: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is relatively common in neurosurgical field. However not all patients develop CSDH after minor head trauma. In this study, we evaluate the risk factors of post-traumatic CSDH.

Methods: Two-hundred and seventy-seven patients were enrolled and analyzed in this study from January 2012 to December 2013. Of those, 20 participants had minor head trauma developed CSDH afterward. We also included 257 patients with minor head trauma who did not develop CSDH during the same follow-up period as the control group. We investigated the risk factors related to the development of CSDH after minor head trauma.

Results: Old age (p=0.014), preexisting diabetes mellitus (p=0.010), hypertension (p=0.026), history of cerebral infarction (p=0.035), antiplatelet agents (p=0.000), acute subdural hematoma in the convexity (p=0.000), encephalomalacia (p=0.029), and long distance between skull and brain parenchyma (p=0.000) were significantly correlated with the development of CSDH after trauma. Multivariate analysis revealed that only the maximum distance between the skull and the cerebral parenchyma was the independent risk factor for the occurrence of CSDH (hazard ratio 2.55, p=0.000).

Conclusion: We should consider the possibility of developing CSDH in the post-traumatic patients with the identified risk factors.