Dehydration Status at Admission Predicts Recurrence in Patients with Traumatic Chronic Subdural Hematoma

Predicting the progression of chronic subdural hematoma based on skull density

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate potential correlations between skull density and the progression of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH).

Methods

Patients with unilateral CSDH were retrospectively enrolled between January 2018 and December 2022. Demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as hematoma and skull density (Hounsfield unit, Hu), were collected and analyzed.

Results

The study enrolled 830 patients with unilateral CSDH until the resolution of the CDSH or progressed with surgical treatment. Of the total, 488 patients (58.80%) necessitated surgical treatment. The study identified a significant correlation between the progression of CSDH and three variables: minimum skull density (MiSD), maximum skull density (MaSD), and skull density difference (SDD) (p < 0.001). Additionally, in the multivariable regression analysis, MiSD, MaSD, and SDD were independent predictors of CSDH progression. The MiSD + SDD model exhibited an accuracy of 0.88, as determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, with a sensitivity of 0.77 and specificity of 0.88. The model's accuracy was validated through additional analysis.

Conclusion

The findings suggest a significant correlation between skull density and the CSDH progression.

The prevalence of chronic dehydration and associated with cardiometabolic risks among agriculture and aquaculture workers

Background

Chronic dehydration is associated with complications and mortality in acute ischemic stroke patients. Prior literature indicates that farmers and fishery workers are commonly affected by cardiometabolic diseases and there is a need for early prevention of stroke. This study explores the prevalence of dehydration and the association of cardiometabolic risk profiles in agricultural and aquaculture workers.

Methods

We conducted a community-based, cross-sectional study of agriculture and aquaculture workers in Yunlin County of Taiwan between August 1 and December 31, 2021. Data on demographic characteristics and health-related lifestyles were collected through one-on-one interviews using a questionnaire. The threshold for dehydration is defined as serum osmolality ≥295 mOsm/kg, and physiological biomarkers were collected from a collaborating hospital. Multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for demographic characteristics were performed to investigate the association between dehydration levels, cardiometabolic risks, and health-related behaviors.

Results

A total of 962 Taiwanese agriculture and aquaculture workers who were predominantly women (65%) with a mean age of 64 years (SD = 13.8) were enrolled. The findings showed a high prevalence of dehydration (36%), metabolic syndrome (44.5%), abnormal waist circumference (64.4%), and abnormal blood pressure (68.5%). Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that dehydration was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome (p < 0.001), 10-year stroke risk prediction (p < 0.001), and an unhealthy lifestyle (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The prevalence of chronic dehydration was higher in Taiwanese agriculture and aquaculture workers, which was significantly associated with cardiometabolic risks and unhealthy lifestyles.

Biofluid Biomarkers in the Prognosis of Chronic Subdural Hematoma: A Systematic Scoping Review

The present systematic scoping review aimed at mapping and analyzing the available literature on biological fluid (biofluid) biomarkers showing promise in the prediction of chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) recurrence and the prognosis of neurological/functional patient outcome. Twenty-three studies published between 2003 and 2023 investigating a diverse range of biomarkers in hematoma fluid and/or the circulation in 3749 patients were included. Immune cell populations and inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines comprised the most studied category of biomarkers displaying significant findings. A notable time trend in biomarker studies was a recent shift in research focus towards the analysis of circulating biomarkers. Several biomarkers were indicated as independent predictors of cSDH recurrence and/or functional/neurological outcome, including circulating fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP-1) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), as well as blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and the ratios of blood neutrophil to lymphocyte (NLR) or red blood cell distribution width to platelet count (RPR). While studies on cSDH prognostic biomarkers have gained, in recent years, momentum, additional multicenter prospective studies are warranted to confirm and extend their findings. The identification of prognostic biofluid biomarkers in cSDH is an active field of research that may provide future tools, guiding clinical decisions and allowing for the design of treatments based on risk stratification.

Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization Minimizes Burdensome Recurrence Rates After Newly Diagnosed Chronic Subdural Hematoma Evacuation (MEMBRANE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background

Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is the most common complication of mild traumatic brain injury demanding neurosurgery in high-income countries. If undetected and untreated, cSDH may increase intracranial pressure and cause neurological deficiencies. The first-line intervention of choice is burr hole trepanation and hematoma evacuation. However, any third patient may experience rebleeding, demanding craniotomy with excess morbidity. Adjunct endovascular embolization of the frontal and parietal branches of the middle meningeal artery (MMA) is a promising approach to avoid relapse and revision but was hitherto not studied in a randomized trial.

Methods

MEMBRANE is an investigator-initiated, single-center, randomized controlled trial. Male, female, and diverse patients older than 18 years scheduled for surgical evacuation of a first cSDH will be assigned in a 1:1 fashion by block randomization to the intervention (surgery plus endovascular MMA embolization) or the control group (surgery alone). The primary trial endpoint is cSDH recurrence within 3 months of follow-up after surgery. Secondary endpoints comprise neurological deficits assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and recurrence- or intervention-associated complications during 3 months of follow-up. Assuming a risk difference of 20% of rebleeding and surgical revision, a power of 80%, and a drop-out rate of 10%, 154 patients will be enrolled onto this trial, employing an adaptive O’Brien-Fleming approach with a planned interim analysis halfway.

Discussion

The MEMBRANE trial will provide first clinical experimental evidence on the effectiveness of endovascular embolization of the MMA as an adjunct to surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence after the evacuation of cSDH.

Trial registration

German Clinical Trials Registry (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien [DRKS]) DRKS00020465. Registered on 18 Nov 2021. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05327933. Registered on 13 Apr 2022.