Author(s)

Milo Stanišić, Inge Rasmuss Groote, John Hald, Are Hugo Pripp

Department of Neurosurgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Department of Psychology, Oslo University, Oslo, Norway.
Department of Radiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Unit of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

Backgrounds: Pre- and postoperative chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) sizes have been used in clinical trials to predict the risk of postoperative recurrence. Commonly, dimensions of the pre- and postoperative lesions have been assessed by computerized tomography (CT) scans using maximum thickness as a linear measurement. Our goal was to characterize this common method for quantification of pre- and postoperative lesion sizes and to assess its estimation validity compared to estimation by hematoma volumetry. Methods: We prospectively investigated pre- and 1^st postoperative day CT scans of 107 adult surgical patients with uni- or bilateral CSDH. Pre- and postoperative thickness of CSDH was determined and then compared to pre- and postoperative lesion volume measured with 3D hematoma volumetry. Results: Pearson correlation coefficients between mean pre- and postoperative lesion thickness and mean pre- and postoperative lesion volume in the unilateral subgroup were 0.491 and 0.498, respectively; in the bilateral subgroup 0.505 and 0.579, respectively; and in the whole series 0.653 and 0.472, respectively. Conclusions: Pre- and postoperative thickness of CSDH does not offer reasonable approximations of the pre- and postoperative lesion size when compared with results from 3D volumetry in the unilateral subgroup, bilateral subgroup or overall.

Chronic Subdural Hematoma; Computerized Tomography; Thickness; Volume

M. Stanišić, I. Groote, J. Hald and A. Pripp, "Estimation of Chronic Subdural Hematoma Size Using CT Imaging; a Comparison of In-Plane Thickness to 3D Volumetry," Open Journal of Modern Neurosurgery, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2014, pp. 1-6. doi: 10.4236/ojmn.2014.41001.