• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제42권4호
• /
• pp.346-348
• /
• 2007

Surgical elevation of the depressed bone is known to be the conventional treatment usually recommended for a simple depressed skull fracture in the adult or pediatric age. The authors introduce, however, a case of depressed skull fracture in an infant which was elevated by means of a cup of breast pump and a suction generator without surgical elevation. In our case, without surgery, a 'cup-shaped' depressed skull fracture in an infant was safely elevated with no neurological signs. This method is considered a simple, effective, safe, and alternative procedure in an infant with simple depressed skull fracture.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제52권6호
• /
• pp.528-533
• /
• 2012

Objective : In the pediatric population the skull has not yet undergone ossification and it is assumed that the diagnostic rate of skull fractures by simple X-rays are lower than that of adults. It has been recently proposed that the diagnostic rates of skull fractures by 3-dimensional computer tomography (3D-CT) are higher than simple X-rays. The authors therefore attempted to compare the diagnostic rates of pediatric skull fractures by simple X-rays and 3D-CTs with respect to the type of fracture. Methods : One-hundred patients aged less than 12 years who visited the Emergency Center for cranial injury were subject to simple X-rays and 3D-CTs. The type and location of the fractures were compared and Kappa statistical analysis and the t-test were conducted. Results : Among the 100 pediatric patients, 65 were male and 35 were female. The mean age was $50{\pm}45$ months. 63 patients had simple skull fractures and 22 had complex fractures, and the types of fractures were linear fractures in 74, diastatic fractures 15, depressed fractures in 10, penetrating fracture in 1, and greenstick fractures in 3 patients. Statistical difference was observed for the predictive value of simple skull fractures' diagnostic rate depending on the method for diagnosis. A significant difference of the Kappa value was noted in the diagnosis of depressed skull fractures and diastatic skull fractures. Conclusion : In the majority of pediatric skull fractures, 3D-CT showed superior diagnosis rates compared to simple skull X-rays and therefore 3D-CT is recommended whenever skull fractures are suspected. This is especially true for depressed skull fractures and diastatic skull fractures.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제38권5호
• /
• pp.393-395
• /
• 2005

Cerebral infarction rarely occur following head injury. The authors present the case of a 39-year-old man with complete infarction in the middle cerebral artery[MCA] and anterior cerebral artery[ACA] territories ccurred immediately after head injury. He had compound depressed fracture in right frontal bone with no neurological deficit. After the depressed bone elevation, postoperative computed tomography scan showed the right MCA and ACA territory infarction with midline shift. Cerebral angiography obtained on the day after emergent decompressive craneictomy showed the complete occlusion of the internal carotid artery[ICA] at the level of lacerum ICA segment. There was no evidence of neck vessel dissection and basal skull fracture. Cerebral infarction can occur in an ultraearly period after head injury without neck vessel dissection or basal skull fracture. We stress the need for attention to the cerebral infarction as the cause of a rare neurological deterioration of the head trauma.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제46권5호
• /
• pp.484-487
• /
• 2009

It is not uncommon for hemangiomas to occur in the calvarium, accounting for about 10% of the benign skull tumors. A 46-year-old man was presented with a palpable scalp mass on the left parietal region. Past medical history indicated that he had undergone cranioplasty 25 years prior due to a depressed skull fracture suffered from a traffic accident. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed mixed signal intensity mass on T1 -and T2- weighted images pushing a linear signal void lesion outward in the left parietal region. After total surgical removal along with cranioplasty, he was discharged without neurological deficits. Histological examination of the surgical specimen revealed a cavernous hemangioma. A skull hemangioma occurring at the site of a cranioplasty has not yet been reported. Therefore, authors report this case in combination with a pertinent literature review.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제29권5호
• /
• pp.668-674
• /
• 2000

Objective : The classic and accepted surgical method of compound comminuted depressed skull fractures (FCCD) involves total resection of all the contaminated bone and fragments at the fracture site. A second operation for cranioplasty is then performed at a later date. However, we have believed that primary repair of these bony defects can be achieved by the replacement of bone fragments at the time of the initial debridement, and this can be accomplished without danger to patient. The authors retrospectively reviewed the surgical results to assess the advantages and disadvantages, and also propose the selection criteria of replacement of fractured bone fragments as a primary procedure in FCCD. Materials and Methods : The authors analyzed the data extracted from medical records, and radiological findings in 22 of 71 patients with FCCD, who underwent immediate replacement of fractured bone fragments between April 1993 and October 1998. The mean follow-up period was 13.7 months. The selection criteria for the operation included the patients with mild to moderate severity, regardless of the degree of contamination or dural violation, which presented in hospital within 24 hours of injury. Results : The ages of the patients varied from 4 to 63 years, and there were 20 males and 2 females. Seventeen of 22 patients were fully conscious on admission and the others also had relatively good Glasgow coma scales. Sixteen fractures were located in the frontal area, 9 with involvement of the frontal sinuses, and 6 in the parietal and temporoparietal areas. Of the 22 patients, 8(36.3%) had dural lacerations with 3 of these requiring patching with pericranium, and 12(54.5%) had intracranial hematoma requiring wide craniotomy. The degree of wound contamination was also variable. Fifteen patients had relatively clean wounds, while seven(31.8%) had seriously contaminated wounds with soil, sand, hair, and wood. Only one patient(4.5%) developed infection, and the bone fragments were removed. All wounds healed primarily without pulsatile defect, the skull has remained solid, and no complications have occurred, except the infected case. Conclusion : It is proposed that bone fragments removal for FCCD, regardless of the degree of contamination or dural violation, is not necessary and that primary bone fragments replacement avoids a second operation for cranioplasty.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제63권5호
• /
• pp.631-639
• /
• 2020

Objective : Traditionally, staged surgery has been preferred in the treatment of compound comminuted depressed fracture (FCCD) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and involves the removal of primarily damaged bone and subsequent cranioplasty. The main reason for delayed cranioplasty was to reduce the risk of infection-related complications. Here, the author performed immediate reconstruction using a titanium mesh in consecutive patients with FCCD after TBI, reported the surgical results, and reviewed previous studies. Methods : Nineteen consecutive patients who underwent single-stage reconstruction with titanium mesh for FCCD of the skull from April 2014 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The demographic and radiological characteristics of the patients with FCCD were investigated. The characteristics associated with surgery and outcome were also evaluated. Results : The frequency of TBI in men (94.7%) was significantly higher than that in women. Most FCCDs (73.7%) occurred during work, the rest were caused by traffic accidents. The mean interval between TBI and surgery was 7.0±3.9 hours. The median Glasgow coma scale score was 15 (range, 8-15) at admission and 15 (range, 10-15) at discharge. FCCD was frequently located in the frontal (57.9%) and parietal (31.6%) bones than in other regions. Of the patients with FCCDs in the frontal bone, 62.5% had paranasal sinus injury. There were five patients with fractures of orbital bone, and they were easily reconstructed using titanium mesh. These patients were cosmetically satisfied. Postoperatively, antibiotics were used for an average of 12.6 days. The mean hospital stay was 17.6±7.5 days (range, 8-33). There was no postoperative seizure or complications, such as infection. Conclusion : Immediate bony fragments replacement and reconstruction with reconstruction titanium mesh for FCCD did not increase infectious sequelae, even though FCCD involved sinus. This suggests that immediate single-stage reconstruction with titanium mesh for FCCD is a suitable surgical option with potential benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness, safety, and cosmetic and psychological outcomes.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제42권2호
• /
• pp.89-91
• /
• 2007

Objective : Cranioplasty is necessary to repair the cranial defect, produced either by decompressive craniectomy or removal of the contaminated depressed skull fracture. Complications are relatively common after cranioplasty, being reported up to 23.6%. We examined the incidence and risk factors of infectious complications after cranioplasty during last 6 year period. Methods : From January 2000 to December 2005, 107 cranioplasties were performed in our institution. The infectious complications occurred in 17 cases that required the removal of the bone flap. We examined the age of the patients, causes of the skull defect, timing of the cranioplasty the size of the defect, and kinds of the cranioplasty material. The size of the skull defect was calculated by a formula, $3.14{\times}long\;axis\;{\times}short$ axis. The cranioplasty material was autogenous bone kept in a freezer in 74 patients, and polymethylmetacrylate in 33 patients. Statistical significance was tested using the chi-square test. Results : The infection occurred in 17 patients in 107 cranioplasties (15.9%). It occurred in 2 of 29 cases of less than $75\;cm^2$ defect (6.9%), and 6 in 54 cases of $75{\sim}125\;cm^2$ defect (11.1%). Also, it occurred in 9 of 24 cases of more than $125\;cm^2$ defect (37.5%). This difference was statistically significant (p <0.01). Conclusion : During the cranioplasty, special attention is required when the skull defect is large since the infection tends to occurr more commonly.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제60권4호
• /
• pp.397-403
• /
• 2017

Objective : Cranioplasty using a cryopreserved skull flap is a wide spread practice. The most well-known complications of cranioplasty are postoperative surgical infections and bone flap resorption. In order to find biological evidence of cryopreserved cranioplasty, we investigated microorganism contamination of cryopreserved skulls and cultured osteoblasts from cryopreserved skulls. Methods : Cryopreserved skull flaps of expired patients stored in a bone bank were used. Cryopreserved skulls were packaged in a plastic bag and wrapped with cotton cloth twice. After being crushed by a hammer, cancellous bone between the inner and outer table was obtained. The cancellous bone chips were thawed in a water bath of $30^{\circ}C$ rapidly. After this, osteoblast culture and general microorganism culture were executed. Osteoblast cultures were done for 3 weeks. Microorganism cultures were done for 72 hours. Results : A total of 47 cryopreserved skull flaps obtained from craniectomy was enrolled. Of the sample, 11 people were women, and the average age of patients was 55.8 years. Twenty four people had traumatic brain injuries, and 23 people had vascular diseases. Among the patients with traumatic brain injuries, two had fracture compound comminuted depressed. The duration of cryopreservation was, on average, 83.2 months (9 to 161 months). No cultured osteoblast was observed. No microorganisms were cultured. Conclusion : In this study, neither microorganisms nor osteoblasts were cultured. The biological validity of cryopreserved skulls cranioplasty was considered low. However, the usage of cryopreserved skulls for cranioplasty is worthy of further investigation in the aspect of cost-effectiveness and risk-benefit of post-cranioplasty infection.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제45권3호
• /
• pp.176-178
• /
• 2009

Traumatic brainstem hemorrhage after blunt head injury is an uncommon event. The most frequent site of hemorrhage is the midline rostral brainstem. The prognosis of these patients is poor because of its critical location. We experienced a case of traumatic brainstem hemorrhage. A 41-year-old male was presented with drowsy mentality and right hemiparesis after blunt head injury. Plain skull radiographs and brain computerized tomography scans revealed a depressed skull fracture, epidural hematoma, and hemorrhagic contusion in the right parieto-occipital region. But, these findings did not explain the right hemiparesis. T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) image of the cervical spine demonstrated a focal hyperintense lesion in the left pontomedullary junction. Brain diffusion-weighted and FLAIR MR images showed a focal hyperintensity in the ventral pontomedullary lesion and it was more prominent in the left side. His mentality and weakness were progressively improved with conservative treatment. We should keep in mind the possibility of brainstem hemorrhage if supratentorial lesions or spinal cord lesions that caused neurological deficits in the head injured patients are unexplainable.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
• /
• 제34권3호
• /
• pp.212-217
• /
• 2021

Various medical scenarios have arisen with the prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In particular, the increasing number of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients has prompted reports of emergency surgical experiences with these patients at regional trauma centers. In this report, we describe an example. A 25-year-old male was admitted to the emergency room after a traffic accident. The patient presented with stuporous mentality, and his vital signs were in the normal range. Lacerations were observed in the left eyebrow area and preauricular area, with hemotympanum in the right ear. Brain computed tomography showed a contusional hemorrhage in the right frontal area and an epidural hematoma in the right temporal area with a compound, comminuted fracture and depressed skull bone. Surgical treatment was planned, and the patient was intubated to prepare for surgery. A blood transfusion was prepared, and a central venous catheter was secured. The initial COVID-19 test administered upon presentation to the emergency room had a positive result, and a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was administered. The PCR test confirmed a positive result. Emergency surgical treatment was performed because the patient's consciousness gradually deteriorated. The risk of infection was high due to the open and unclean wounds in the skull and brain. We prepared and divided the COVID-19 surgical team, including the patient's transportation team, anesthesia team, and surgical preparation team, for successful surgery without any transmission or morbidity. The patient recovered consciousness after the operation, received close monitoring, and did not show any deterioration due to COVID-19.