Post-traumatic seizures and factors associated among adult patients with depressed skull fractures at Mulago National Referral hospital; cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Post-traumatic seizures (PTS) are common among patients with depressed skull fractures (DSF). Understanding the burden of post traumatic seizures and the factors associated among adult patients with DSF is important to improve clinical care. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with post-traumatic seizures among adult patients with DSF at Mulago National Referral hospital (MNRH). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 333 study participants between March 2021 and February 2022. Socio-demographic, clinical laboratory factors and anti-seizure medications were collected using a study questionnaire. Data was analysed to determine the prevalence of PTS and factors associated with occurrence of PTS among patients with DSF. RESULTS: The mean age (±SD) of study participants was 31.2, (±10.5) years, with a male to female ratio of 10.4:1. Nearly half of the study participants had attained secondary level of education, while 31.6 % (105) were peasants (subsistence farmers). The overall prevalence of PTS among DSF study participants was 16.2 % (54participants). Late presentation of PTS was the highest at 9.0 % (30) followed by early PTS at 3.9 % [13] and immediate PTS at 3.3 % [11]. Moderate Glasgow coma score (GCS: 9-13), p < 0.015, severe traumatic brain injury (GCS: 3-8), p < 0.026 at the time of admission and midline brain shift (≥5mm), p < 0.009 were associated with PTS. Phenytoin (94.3 %) was the most commonly used ASM followed by phenobarbitone (1.4 %) and Valproate (1.1 %) among study participants. CONCLUSION: Patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injury and midline brain shift were associated with post traumatic seizures. Early identification and intervention may reduce the burden of posttraumatic seizures in this category of patients.

Depressed skull fracture compressing eloquent cortex causing focal neurologic deficits.

BACKGROUND: Depressed skull fractures are typically the consequence of high-impact injuries with inward buckling of the cranium. The majority of depressed skull fractures are managed conservatively in the absence of dural violation, sinus involvement, significant underlying hematoma, depressed fragment greater than 1 cm, wound infection, or gross wound contamination. Even in the presence of any of the aforementioned criteria, cranioplasty is typically considered an urgent procedure rather than a neurosurgical emergency. Rarely, a depressed fracture fragment can cause focal neurologic deficit(s) due to direct compression of the underlying eloquent cortex. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 40-year-old male presented to the emergency department after a mechanical fall with a left central facial nerve palsy, left hemiplegia, left hemianesthesia, and fixed right gaze deviation. The neurologic deficits observed were attributed to a combination of blunt force trauma to the head (i.e., coup-contrecoup injury) and the depressed fracture fragment compressing the underlying eloquent cortex. He underwent emergent cranioplasty with fragment elevation within 2 hours of the traumatic injury. At 6-month follow-up, he regained full neurologic function without any residual deficits. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience highlights a rare indication for emergent cranioplasty with an excellent functional outcome attributable to immediate fracture elevation and decompression of eloquent cortex.

A simple and successful treatment for rupture and defect of the posterior third superior sagittal sinus caused by open depressed skull fracture: A case report.

It is extremely dangerous to treat the posterior third of the superior sagittal sinus (PTSSS) surgically, since it is usually not completely ligated. In this report, the authors described the case of a 27-year-old man with a ruptured and defective PTSSS caused by an open depressed skull fracture, which was treated by ligation of the PTSSS and the patient achieved a positive recovery. The patient's occiput was hit by a height-limiting rod and was in a mild coma. A CT scan showed an open depressed skull fracture overlying the PTSSS and a diffuse brain swelling. He underwent emergency surgery. When the skull fragments were removed, a 4 cm segment of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) and the adjacent dura mater were removed together with bone fragments. Haemorrhage occurred and blood pressure dropped. We completed the operation by ligating the severed ends of the fractured sagittal sinus. One month after the operation, apart from visual field defects, he recovered well. In our opinion, in primary hospitals, when patients with severely injured PTSSS cannot sustain a long-time and complicated operation, e.g., the bypass using venous graft, and face life-threatening conditions, ligation of the PTSSS is another option, which may unexpectedly achieve good results.

Uncommon isolation of Desulfovibrio vulgaris from a depressed fracture wound on the forehead.

Desulfovibrio spp. are gram negative, obligate anaerobes capable of reducing sulfate. They have caused infections in humans, but very rarely. They are slow growers and difficult to identify. Hence, they are often overlooked and their actual presence goes unnoticed. Here, we describe a case of a 15- year old boy who was involved in a road traffic accident and he presented with seropurulent discharge from a depressed fracture wound on the forehead. Desulfovibrio vulgaris (D.vulgaris), was isolated from the pus discharge, the first to be reported. The characteristic desulfoviridin pigment production in the organism aided in the identification. The infection was successfully managed with pain reliever and course of amoxicillin - clavulanic acid and linezolid.

Post-Traumatic Status Epilepticus Masquerading as Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND Advanced imaging is one of the main modalities utilized in the diagnostic investigation of a first-time epileptic ictus, as well as in the evaluation of a patient suspected of having an ischemic stroke. CASE REPORT We report the case of a 7-year-old boy who was admitted to our hospital because of a depressed skull fracture. Soon after its initial evaluation, he had an episode of generalized tonic-clonic seizures; therefore, a detailed diagnostic work up was scheduled, which raised the diagnostic dilemma of ischemic stroke versus imaging alterations related to status epilepticus. He underwent surgical exploration, and a few days later the repeat MRI verified that the initial signal changes should be attributed to the ictus. CONCLUSIONS Brain edema, most commonly affecting a cerebral hemisphere in its entirety, is a rare post-ictal imaging finding that is causally related to focal-onset status epilepticus. The aforementioned perfusion changes can aid in the differentiation of ictal-related brain abnormalities from acute ischemic stroke, if regional or more diffuse areas of increased perfusion are shown on MRI. Consequently, MRI should be considered the preferred imaging modality when we are confronted with cases of post-ictal signal changes that could masquerade as acute ischemic stroke.

Delayed Neurological Deterioration after Depressed Fracture over Superior Sagittal Sinus: Our Experience with 13 Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience in the diagnosis and management protocol of 13 patients with a depressed skull fracture over the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) who developed delayed neurologic deterioration. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in the Neurosurgical Department, Assiut University Hospitals, between May 2012 and May 2017. All patients with a depressed skull fracture over the SSS were reviewed. Only those patients who were neurologically intact after trauma but suffered delayed neurologic deterioration were included in this study. Preoperative characteristics of age, sex, cause of trauma, type and site of the depressed skull fracture, and clinical presentation were reviewed and evaluated. Neuroimaging including brain computed tomography and computed tomography venography were evaluated. RESULTS: Of 612 patients with depressed skull fractures admitted to our department, 63 had the fracture segment on the SSS. Thirteen patients, nine males and four females, met the inclusion criteria (age range: 5-42 years). The most common cause of trauma was assault from others (seven patients). Eight patients had a compound depressed fracture; the other five fractures were simple. Interval between trauma and neurologic deterioration ranged between 4 days and 3 weeks. Clinical deterioration included decrease of consciousness, headache, blurred vision, and repeated vomiting. Deterioration of consciousness was seen in four patients. Eight patients had sixth cranial nerve palsy. Visual deterioration was seen in four patients. All the included patients were operated on for elevation of the depressed segment. Eleven patients improved; two patients who presented initially with visual deterioration did not improve. Their visual deterioration persisted after surgery. For both these patients, lumbar puncture revealed high cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. Clinical improvement followed the insertion of a thecoperitoneal shunt. CONCLUSION: Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) may follow a depressed fracture over the SSS. It may occur immediately after trauma or later. Surgical decompression with elevation of the depressed segment is indicated. Persistence of manifestations of raised ICP despite elevation of the depressed segment indicates the occurrence of an SSS thrombosis. CSF pressure should be measured to confirm the diagnosis and consider a thecoperitoneal shunt.

Visual failure and sinus thrombosis following depressed skull fracture: management with single session lumboperitoneal shunt and sinus decompression -case report.

Elevation of a depressed skull fracture (DSF) overlying a venous sinus is generally avoided due to risk of sinus injury. Rarely, the sinus may be compressed by the fractured segment, causing intracranial hypertension (IH) or encephalopathy and can only be diagnosed with cerebral angiography or MR imaging techniques. The posterior third of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) was found involved in all the reported cases. There is no consensus on its management, but most patients did not have any sinus thrombosis and improved after elevation of the compressing DSF alone. There are isolated reports of improvement with serial lumbar punctures or ventriculoperitoneal shunt.We report for the first time, a single session lumboperitoneal shunt and DSF elevation for a patient with thrombosis of the posterior part of SSS due to an overlying DSF, causing florid papilledema and impending blindness. Elevation of the DSF alone would not have achieved patency of the thrombosed sinus immediately to save his vision. Hence a lumboperitoneal shunt was done for immediate relief of IH. This CSF diversion alone was insufficient to achieve patency of the thrombosed sinus in the presence of significant external compression by the DSF; even if anticoagulants were used. Hence we elevated the DSF after craniotomy using a technical modification; by making a wide gutter circumferentially around the DSF with a high speed drill, to avoid sinus injury; prior to its elevation. The patient's vision improved in 48 hours and anticoagulants were used till 2 months when sinuses were found normal on MRI. Serial CT &MR images showing progression to thrombosis and recovery after decompression are presented. Both CSF diversion and DSF elevation are necessary when vision is threatened by IH due to sinus thrombosis with an overlying DSF.

Treatment of Traumatic Depressed Compound Skull Fractures.

BACKGROUND: A skull fracture widely occurs in patients with traumatic brain injury, leading to intracranial hematoma, brain contusion, and intracranial infection. It also influences the prognosis and death of patients. This study aimed to discuss cases of patients with comminuted skull fractures. METHODS: From October 2015 to December 2018, 38 patients with comminuted skull fractures were admitted to the hospital. All patients underwent three-dimensional reconstruction of computed tomography scan images. Digital subtraction angiography or magnetic resonance venography was performed to find out the venous sinus. The clinical findings of the patients were significant regarding gender, age, injury mechanism, location, admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), combined epidural, subdural, cerebral contusion, intracranial pneumatosis, maximum depth of depression, admission to surgery, dural tear, post-operative cerebrospinal fluid leakage, post-operative infection, and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) 3 months after surgery. RESULTS: The incidence of traffic accidents, fall from a height, railway accidents, fall of an object, and chop injury was 60.5%, 18.4%, 13.2%, 5.3%, and 2.6%, respectively. Intra-operative dural trar negatively correlated with epidural hematoma, cerebral contusion, and subdural hematoma. Also, post-operative infection negatively correlated with intracranial pneumatosis, depth of fracture depression, and pre-operative cerebrospinal fluid leakage. No correlation was found between contusion, subdural hematoma, intracranial pneumatosis, depth of fracture depression, and post-operative infection. The GOS score positively correlated with age, pre-operative cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and admission GCS score. CONCLUSIONS: A perfect pre-operative examination is a key to successful surgery. Further studies should be conducted to find out more effective treatments for traumatic comminuted skull fractures.

Intracranial hypertension caused by superior sagittal sinus stenosis secondary to a depressed skull fracture: Case report and review of the literature.

Depressed fractures that occur on the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) cause stenosis or thrombosis of the sinus in 11.5% of cases. Despite this, the appearance of signs and symptoms derived from high intracranial pressure is an infrequent event. So far, only 17 cases of venous sinus injury causing intracranial hypertension have been documented. It is necessary to establish treatment immediately before clinical suspicion. Surgical treatment by craniectomy is a fast, effective and safe alternative according to the series. However, it is necessary to anticipate the possibility of haemorrhage in the operating room. The case of a 7-year-old girl admitted for traumatic brain injury (TBI) with the diagnosis of a left parasagittal occipital sinus fracture that stenosed the posterior third of the superior sagittal sinus is presented. Upon arrival, she was asymptomatic, and conservative management was selected. Subsequently, the patient began to present with headache, nausea, vomiting and diplopia associated with bradycardia and apnoea pauses of central origin. She underwent surgery with a craniectomy with satisfactory clinical and radiological evolution and normalization of the intracranial pressure (ICP) registry.

Dural Tears In Patients With Depressed Skull Fractures.

BACKGROUND: The presence of skull fracture in patients sustaining traumatic brain injury is an important risk factor for intracranial lesions. Assessment of integrity of dura in depressed skull fracture is of paramount importance because if dura is torn, lacerated brain matter may be present in the wound which needs proper debridement followed by water tight dural closure to prevent meningitis, cerebral abscess, and pseudomeningocoele formation. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of dural tear in patients with depressed skull fractures. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Department of Neurosurgery Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad. All the patients of either patients above 1 year of age with depressed skull fracture were included in this study in consecutive manner. Patients were operated for skull fractures and per-operatively dura in the region of depressed skull fracture was closely observed for any dural tear. The data were collected on a predesigned pro forma. RESULTS: A total of 83 patients were included in this study out of which 57 (68.7%) were males and 26 (31.3%) were females. The age of the patients ranged from 1-50 (mean 15.71±13.49 years). Most common site of depressed skull fracture was parietal 32 (38.6%), followed by Frontal in 24 (28.9%), 21(25.3%) in temporal region, 5(6.0%) were in occipital region and only 1 (1.2%) in posterior fossa. Dural tear was present in 28 (33.7%) patients and it was absent in 55 (66.3%) of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In depressed skull fractures, there are high chances of associated traumatic dural tears which should be vigilantly managed.

Traumatic open depressed cranial fracture causing occlusion of posterior superior sagittal sinus: Case report.

RATIONALE: The superior sagittal sinus (SSS) is the major dural sinuses that receive a considerable amount of venous drainage. Interruption of its posterior third has been suggested to cause intracranial hypertension and lead to potentially fatal consequences. PATIENT CONCERNS: We presented a 22-year-old man with a severe headache and scalp bleeding after a head chop wound. Physical examination identified a 20-cm straight laceration in his parietooccipital scalp. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a depressed cranial fracture (DCF) in the left parietooccipital bone, a fracture line across the midline to the right side, and penetrations of bone fragments into the brain parenchyma. DIAGNOSES: Traumatic open DCF in left parietooccipital bone. INTERVENTIONS: An emergent left parietooccipital craniotomy, followed by cranioplasty to restore the depressed bone flap, was delivered to the patient. Postoperative CT confirmed successful elevation of the DCF and removal of intracerebral bone fragments. However, postoperative CT angiography (CTA) demonstrated an absence of venous flow distal to the fracture, suggesting occlusion of the posterior third of SSS. MRV revealed a persistent absence of venous flow in the posterior third of SSS with dilated cortical venous drainage. Anticoagulation treatment was initiated 3 days after surgery, and follow-up CTA and digital subtraction angiography showed gradually improved patency in the anterior and middle two-thirds of SSS. OUTCOMES: Despite occlusion of the posterior third of SSS, patient's symptoms resolved after the operation and he was discharged without complications. LESSONS: The favorable clinical outcome after complete occlusion of the posterior third of the SSS has rarely been reported and it might be explained by our timely surgical intervention and development of compensatory cerebral collateral circulation.

[Delayed endoscopic reconstruction of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus: Technical note]. / Reconstruction différée de la paroi antérieure du sinus frontal par voie endoscopique: note technique.

INTRODUCTION: Reconstruction of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus usually requires a coronal incision. This extended approach may lead to paresthesia, unsightly scars, bruises and cicatricial alopecia. These complications encouraged several authors to endoscopic management of this kind of fractures. We present a delayed technique of reconstruction of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus by means of endoscopic hydroxyapatite filling. TECHNICAL NOTE: Two incisions were performed behind the hair line. Subperiosteal dissection using a periosteal elevator was performed. A 30° angled endoscope was used to visualize the depression. The latter was filled by Hydroset® (Stryker, USA) as a bone substitute. DISCUSSION: In the absence of contra-indication, the reconstruction of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus by means of endoscopic hydroxyapatite filling has many advantages including uneventful outcome, reduction of the hospital stay and a fast learning curve.

Intracranial pseudoaneurysm associated with orbitozygomatic complex fracture.

Fractures of the orbitozygomatic complex are one of the most common facial fractures encountered by plastic surgeons. Many would consider this to be primarily a cosmetic deformity; however, these injuries can be associated with acute life-threatening complications. Intracranial pseudoaneurysm, although rare, is a well-documented complication of blunt facial trauma, which most plastic surgeons are unaware of. We present the case of a 20-year-old woman who developed an intracranial pseudoaneurysm after blunt facial trauma to illustrate the importance of (1) understanding this rare but highly morbid complication, (2) assessing high-risk patients for pseudoaneurysm, and (3) delaying reconstruction in high-risk patients.

Paraperesis: a rare complication after depressed skull fracture.

Depressed skull fracture is an inward buckling of the skull bones, often because of direct blow to a small surface area of the skull with a blunt object. Monoparesis is often among its clinical presentations, but midline depressed skull fracture presenting as motor weakness of both lower limbs (Paraperesis) has not yet been reported. We report the case of 55 year old male admitted to emergency department with alleged history of hit on head by a wooden rod. He had pain, mild swelling and a small cut over scalp without any symptoms & signs of neurological deficit. On day two of admission patient developed weakness of both lower limbs. On CT scan patient had bilateral depressed skull fracture of high parietal bone on either side of midline. Patient was managed conservatively, made remarkable recovery and was discharged after 2 weeks.

Delayed retroperitoneal bleeding causing acute abdominal compartment syndrome: case report.

Delayed acute abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) due to retroperitoneal bleeding is rare. Herein, we report the clinical management of such a rare case. A 46-year-old male who fell from a height of 12 meters was admitted to Al-Ain Hospital. He was hemodynamically stable. His abdomen was soft and not distended. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) was normal on admission. On day 7, the patient tolerated enteral feeding. On day 15, he became suddenly hypotensive. CT of the abdomen showed a large retroperitoneal hematoma compressing the inferior vena cava (IVC) associated with contrast blush indicating active bleeding. The abdomen became distended and tense. The patient developed respiratory failure and severe acidosis, increased airway pressure and reduced urine output. A clinical diagnosis of ACS was made. There was dramatic improvement in the hemodynamic and respiratory function directly after laparotomy. Exploration of the retroperitoneal hematoma showed an actively bleeding ligated ileocolic vessel. The abdomen was temporarily closed using saline IV bags sandwiched between two layers of Steri-Drape. The abdomen was closed primarily on day 6. The patient was discharged home on day 50. Life-threatening delayed retroperitoneal bleeding may occur suddenly two weeks after trauma causing ACS.

[Hemorrhagic infarction complicated by obliteration of the superior sagittal sinus by depressed skull fracture after a hammer injury: a case report].

The authors have encountered a case of compound depressed skull fracture in a 59 year-old-man complicated by occlusion of the anterior 1/3 part of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS). He was hit by a hammer at the midline of the frontal region, and transferred to our emergency care unit. On admission, there was laceration of skin at the midline of the forehead, but the patient had no neurological deficit. Skull radiograph showed a depressed skull fracture over the SSS. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed a small brain contusion adjacent to the depressed fracture. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) showed occlusion of the anterior 1/3 part of SSS, and extravasations of contrast medium from cortical arterioles and capillaries. CT taken at 4 hours after injury showed enlargement of the lesion with extravasations of contrast medium and the patient manifested consciousness disturbance at this point. Distribution of extravasations suggested the occurrence of hemorrhagic infarction. Elevation of the depressed skull was thus performed under general anesthesia. There was laceration of the dura 5 mm away from the SSS and lacerations of cortical vessels, but there was no apparent damage to SSS itself. The depressed bone was replaced with artificial bone. The patient was discharged without any neurological deficit. Preoperative angiography was helpful to understand the hemodynamics and risk of massive bleeding during the operation.

Posttraumatic human cerebral myiasis.

OBJECTIVE: Only eight cases of cerebral myiasis in humans have been reported worldwide and only one in the United States. Presented here is a case of cerebral myiasis in the setting of head trauma in suburban Los Angeles. METHODS: The article includes chart review and description of a clinical case presentation. RESULTS: A 42-year-old HIV-positive man was found in a ditch after 2 weeks, the victim of apparent assault. He had multiple facial fractures along with open depressed bifrontal sinus fractures with necrotic bone, eroded dura, exposed cortex, and extensive maggot infestation of the left frontal lobe. The patient was taken urgently to the operating room, where the maggots where evacuated by irrigation and suction. Debridement of necrotic bone, dura, and brain was performed, the frontal sinuses were exenterated, and skull defects plated with titanium mesh. Intraoperative cultures revealed a polymicrobial meningitis/encephalitis, which was treated postoperatively with antibiotics. The patient's neurologic exam stabilized and the patient was transferred to a rehabilitation facility for further care, ultimately achieving functionality and holding a job. CONCLUSION: This is the first published case of cerebral myiasis secondary to trauma, and to our knowledge, the first documented long-term survivor of extensive cerebral myiasis. Wide debridement to normal brain followed by 6 weeks of broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment is effective in managing this condition. A well-functioning outcome can be expected with prompt recognition and treatment of the disease. Larval infestation may have a protective effect against bacterial infection and may allow for greater tolerance of treatment delay.