Study on the Efficacy of Long-term Drainage of Subdural Effusion After Decompressive Craniectomy

Subdural effusion is a common complication following decompressive craniectomy for TBI (traumatic brain injury), with an overall incidence of 20%-50%. The clinical symptoms of subdural effusion are mainly related to the volume of effusion, and patients with a small volume of effusion may have no obvious symptoms. The flap bulge and tension of the decompression window can be seen on the same side of the decompressive craniectomy window. The specific clinical manifestations can include headache, dizziness, vomiting, epilepsy, hemiplegia, disturbance of consciousness, and other related symptoms. The degree of disturbance of consciousness changes, which can seriously affect the prognosis of patients. Drilling or puncture drainage is often used in patients with subdural effusion who fail to treat conservatively, but the drainage time has not been defined or recommended by guidelines. At present, short-term drainage is the main treatment, but there are problems such as difficulty completely absorbing the effusion or repeated recurrence. Long-term drainage can improve the absorption rate of effusion, but there is a risk of intracranial infection and other complications. Therefore, it is rarely used in clinical practice, and its clinical risks and benefits are not yet clear. Therefore, the investigators aimed to conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of long-term drainage and short-term drainage in the treatment of subdural effusion after decompressive craniectomy in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Inclusion criteria

• Unilateral DC surgery was performed on TBI patients after injury;
• Subdural effusion occurred for the first time and occurred within 30 days after DC surgery;
• Unilateral effusion accumulation (can appear on the same or opposite side of the bone flap);
• The subdural effusion cannot be absorbed or has no decreasing trend with conservative treatment and consistent with the indications for surgical treatment;
• Sign the study informed consent;

Exclusion criteria

• History of craniocerebral disease or craniocerebral surgery;
• Patients with intracranial infection (cerebrospinal fluid test results must be confirmed by lumbar puncture before inclusion);
• Combined with ventricular hydrocephalus;
• Other factors lead to poor prognosis or affect the treatment plan of the patient, even if the effusion can be recovered well, but severe pre-existing disability or severe co-morbidity such as serious heart disease leads to poor prognosis or even death;
• Pregnant female.