Early Diagnosis and Management of Cerebral Venous Flow Obstruction Secondary to Transsinus Fracture after Traumatic Brain Injury.
- Author:
Wen Hao WANG
1
;
Jun Ming LIN
;
Fei LUO
;
Lian Shui HU
;
Jun LI
;
Wei HUANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: traumatic brain injury; transsinus fracture; transsinus epidural hematoma; cerebral venous flow obstruction; urokinase; two-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance venography
- MeSH: Brain Injuries*; Delayed Diagnosis; Early Diagnosis*; Encephalocele; Follow-Up Studies; Hematoma; Humans; Intracranial Hypertension; Intracranial Pressure; Magnetics; Magnets; Phlebography; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Thrombolytic Therapy; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator
- From:Journal of Clinical Neurology 2013;9(4):259-268
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral venous flow obstruction (CVFO) is a fatal complication of traumatic brain injury. To compare the outcomes of patients with CVFO secondary to traumatic-brain-injury-induced transsinus fracture who were diagnosed early versus those diagnosed late in the therapeutic course. METHODS: In total, 403 patients with transsinus fracture were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were divided into an early-diagnosis group (n=338) and a delayed-diagnosis group (n=65). The patients submitted to 2D time-of-flight magnetic resonance venography (2D-TOF MRV) and/or CT venography (CTV), depending upon the findings of intracranial pressure monitoring, in order to identify potentially complicated CVFO. These examinations took place within 3 days of the onset of malignant intracranial hypertension symptoms in the early-diagnosis group, and after an average of 7 days in the delayed-diagnosis group. Once diagnosed, patients received intravenous thrombolytic therapy with low-dose urokinase. Patients with massive transsinus epidural hematoma, depressed fracture, or cerebral hernia were treated surgically to relieve the compression and repair any damage to the venous sinuses. RESULTS: Cerebral venous flow obstruction was much more severe in the delayed-diagnosis group than in the early-diagnosis group (p<0.001), and hence patients in the former group were given a higher dose of urokinase (p<0.001) for thrombolytic therapy. They were also significantly more likely to need surgery (48.1% vs. 20.6%, p=0.003) and had a higher mortality rate (37.0% vs. 4.1%, p<0.001). However, patients in both groups experienced a similarly favorable prognosis, not only with regard to functional outcome but also with respect to neuroradiological improvement, as evaluated by 2D-TOF MRV/CTV at the final follow-up (p=0.218). CONCLUSIONS: Delayed diagnosis can result in increased risk of surgery and death in the acute phase. Thrombolytic therapy with low-dose urokinase resulted in promising improvements in both functional and neuroradiological outcomes in all of the patients in this study, regardless of the time to diagnosis.
