Syndrome of the Trephined and Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity in a 17–year–old minimally conscious state patient: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Syndrome of the Trephined (SoT) is one of the most unknown complications of the Decompressive Craniectomy (DC) after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). A combination of neurological clinical criteria and radiological signs after DC is necessary to make its diagnosis. In our case, as the patient was in a minimally conscious state (MCS), it was impossible to clinically assess any neurological deterioration according to the criteria found in the literature. There is no description of clinical diagnostic criteria suitable for patients with MCS apart from the visible ‘Skin Flap.’

Method: A 17-year-old patient sustained a severe TBI. Two months after the TBI and a DC he exhibited an MCS with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 7 and a Wessex Head Injury Matrix (WHIM) of 5. He presented several paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) episodes a day and developed a sinking skin flap. A cranioplasty was performed. Then, we noticed the gradual disappearance of PSH episodes plus an improvement of the CRS and the WHIM. Results: The evolution of the WHIM data revealed a statistically significant difference (p 0.0047). 

Conclusion: Further studies should be conducted to assess whether the WHIM and the frequency of PSH episodes may be part of the diagnostic criteria for SoT in MCS patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Autonomic failure
• coma scale
• cranioplasty
• decompressive craniectomy
• minimally conscious state
• traumatic brain injury

Disclosure Statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.