Clinical Study of Decompressive Craniectomy in Children

Özet

AIM: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of children who recently underwent decompressive craniectomy (DC) due to elevatedintracranial pressure (ICP) correlated to head trauma or other causes, such as ischemic insult.MATERIAL and METHODS: Twelve patients aged ≤17 years who underwent DC due to elevated ICP between 2013 and 2018 wereincluded in the study. The clinical status of the participants, radiological characteristics, type and timing of surgery, and outcomeswere recorded.RESULTS: Three female and nine male patients with a mean age of 10 years were included. The initial average Glasgow Coma Scalescore was 6 (3–12). All patients presented with signs of diffuse cerebral edema and subdural hematoma of various sizes along withother intracranial pathologies. Only one patient required bilateral frontal craniectomy. In the postoperative period, three patientsdied, and three had severe disability.CONCLUSION: With the increasing use and success of DC in adults, this procedure can also be effective in children. Consideringbrain differences in children, large and well-structured clinical trials must be conducted to prevent complications and to identify thebest technique, timing, and benefits of DC for children.