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Abstarct
Background: Post-operative volume of subdural fluid is considered to correlate with recurrence in chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH). Information on the applications of computer-assisted volumetric analysis in patients with CSDHs is lacking.
Objective: To investigate the relationship between haematoma recurrence and longitudinal changes in subdural fluid volume using CT volumetric analysis.
Methods: Fifty-four patients harbouring 64 CSDHs were studied prospectively. The association between recurrence rate and CT findings were investigated.
Results: Eleven patients (20.4%) experienced post-operative recurrence. Higher pre-operative (over 120 ml) and/or pre-discharge subdural fluid volumes (over 22 ml) were significantly associated with recurrence; the probability of non-recurrence for values below these thresholds were 92.7% and 95.2%, respectively. CSDHs with larger pre-operative (over 15.1 mm) and/or residual (over 11.7 mm) widths also had significantly increased recurrence rates. Bilateral CSDHs were not found to be more likely to recur in this series. On receiver-operating characteristic curve, the areas under curve for the magnitude of changes in subdural fluid volume were greater than a single time-point measure of either width or volume of the subdural fluid cavity.
Conclusions: Close imaging follow-up is important for CSDH patients for recurrence prediction. Using quantitative CT volumetric analysis, strong evidence was provided that changes in the residual fluid volume during the ‘self-resolution’ period can be used as significantly radiological predictors of recurrence.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Fei Di, Tao Wang, Xiang-Ming Liu, Xiao-Yu Cao, Shuai Kang, Bin Zhang and Zhi Li for their technical support in surgery and supply of some patients’ information.