Factors affecting 30-day mortality in poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a 10-year single-center experience.

Background: The management of patients with poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is burdened by an unfavorable prognosis even with aggressive treatment. The aim of the present study is to investigate the risk factors affecting 30-day mortality in poor-grade aSAH patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database of poor-grade aSAH patients (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, WFNS, grades IV and V) treated at our institution from December 2010 to December 2020. For all variables, percentages of frequency distributions were analyzed. Contingency tables (Chi-squared test) were used to assess the association between categorical variables and outcomes in the univariable analysis. Multivariable analysis was performed by using the multiple logistic regression method to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for 30-day mortality. Results: A total of 149 patients were included of which 32% had WFNS grade 4 and 68% had WFNS grade 5. The overall 1-month mortality rate was 21%. On univariable analysis, five variables were found to be associated with the likelihood of death, including intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH ≥ 50 mL, p = 0.005), the total amount of intraventricular and intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IVH + ICH ≥ 90 mL, p = 0.019), the IVH Ratio (IVH Ratio ≥ 40%, p = 0.003), posterior circulation aneurysms (p = 0.019), presence of spot sign on initial CT scan angiography (p = 0.015).Nonetheless, when the multivariable analysis was performed, only IVH Ratio (p = 0.005; OR 3.97), posterior circulation aneurysms (p = 0.008; OR 4.05) and spot sign (p = 0.022; OR 6.87) turned out to be independent predictors of 30-day mortality. Conclusion: The risk of mortality in poor-grade aSAH remains considerable despite maximal treatment. Notwithstanding the limitations of a retrospective study, our report highlights some neuroradiological features that in the emergency setting, combined with leading clinical and anamnestic parameters, may support the multidisciplinary team in the difficult decision-making process and communication with family members from the earliest stages of poor-grade aSAH. Further prospective studies are warranted.

Handmade Cranioplasty: An Obsolete Procedure or a Surgery That Is Still Useful?

Custom made cranioplasty (CM CPL) represents the gold standard for cranial defect reconstruction, allowing an adequate protection of the brain with good cosmetic results. Nevertheless, it is an expensive procedure, requiring time for preparation of the prothesis. Aim of this study is to evaluate whether and in what cases handmade cranioplasty (HM CPL) still represents a valid alternative to CM CPL.Therefore, all consecutive cranioplasties in our center from 2013 to 2019 have been analyzed. Size and location of cranial defect have been considered, as the cause of decompression. Morbidity rate and final outcome have been evaluated. Series includes 143 patients (61% males, mean age: 60 years, SD:16). HM CPL was performed in 59 cases (41.2%) and CM in the remaining 84 (58.8%). HM CPL was preferred for smaller cranial defects (p: 0.22), inferior to 100 cm (p: 0.01) located in fronto-parietal-occipital area (p: 0.01). Furthermore, HM CPL results in the first choice after removal of infiltrative tumors (p: 0.02). Surgical complications consisted in 14 (9%) infections, 8 hematomas (5.6%), and one cranioplasty displacement (0.7%). At follow-up, in 85.3% of cases the CPL is still in place with satisfactory cosmetic and functional outcome (86.5% of HM CPL, 84.5% of CM CPL).HM CPL may still represent an effective and economic alternative procedure, when specific patient selection criteria are respected. This technique requires a long learning learning curve and demanding surgical maneuvers. Our handmade reconstruction technique with some hints to improve the esthetic result is presented.

Cranioplasty in neurosurgery: is there a way to reduce complications?

BACKGROUND: Cranioplasty (CPL) is a surgical procedure that has still a high rate of complications, although it is commonly considered an easy and routine operation. In the literature, cranioplasty complications may rise up to 41% of cases, and the most frequently reported are infections, autologous bone flap resorption, and hematomas. Although possible, poor cosmetic results are rarely mentioned. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 313 patients who underwent 377 surgical procedures for cranioplasty and reoperations for complications between 2008 and 2014. In other 2 patients we performed a new surgical procedure for the prosthesis fracture. Pediatric patients (aging from 5 to 17 years) have been included in this series in order to compare the complication rate between adult and pediatric populations. The clinical-radiological follow-up of these 313 patients lasted between 1 and 6 years. RESULTS: Overall complications for cranioplasty were seen in 38 (12.14%) out of the 313 patients. However, complications requiring surgical therapy were seen in 28 patients who underwent 64 new surgical procedures. Adult male patients represented the majority of the group with cranioplasty complications. In the pediatric group we have not observed any complication requiring more than a clinical observation. Infections and autologous bone resorption were the most frequent complications reported in this series; however, we observed a poor cosmetic result as a concomitant but separate complication in more than 26% of our 313 patients. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper we present an overview of all the possible complications of cranioplasty reported in the literature, comparing them with those observed in our series. We also discuss critically the most evident causes of complications, suggesting, when possible, solutions to avoid or limit them.

A Rare Case of Supratentorial Cavernous Angioma Associated with Arterialized Developmental Venous Anomaly.

The association of cavernous malformations and developmental venous anomalies (DVA) is well known, but the presence of arterial fistulous connection with the main venous collector has been reported in the literature only once. We report the unusual case of a hemorrhagic cavernous angioma associated with DVA characterized by a fine arterial supply to the main venous collector. During surgery, after the excision of the cavernous angioma, few small arterial feeders were found entering the main channel of the venous developmental anomaly. The presence of an arterial fistulous connection with the main venous collector of a DVA may be a possible mechanism involved in a higher bleeding potential of cavernous angioma.