Bilaterally Fixed and Dilated Pupils Are Not the Kiss of Death in Patients with Transtentorial Herniation: A Single Surgeon's Experience.

Abstract

Bilaterally fixed and dilated pupils in the setting of transtentorial herniation have traditionally been considered a sign of futility. Such patients are often denied life-saving surgery based on the premise that meaningful functional recovery would be extremely unlikely. We sought to determine the survival and functional outcome in a cohort of patients who underwent aggressive medical and surgical management. Charts of all patients managed by a single surgeon over a 42-month period were retrospectively reviewed. Functional outcome was determined using modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Outcome was classified as good (mRS score 0-3), acceptable (mRS score 4), or poor (mRS score 5-6). Patients were 7 men and 2 women with a mean age of 36 years (range, 16-66 years). Etiologies included stroke (4 patients), traumatic brain injury (4 patients), and malignant cerebral edema (1 patient). Preoperative Glasgow Coma Scale scores ranged from 3 to 7, and midline shift was 7-16 mm. All patients received emergency osmotic therapy before decompressive surgery. Time to surgery (from pupillary changes) was <150 minutes for all patients (median 94 minutes; range, 50-148 minutes). At 3 months, 5 patients (55.6%) had recovered, achieving a good (n= 3) or acceptable (n= 2) outcome. The other 4 patients failed to recover and ultimately died of their injury. In well-selected patients with transtentorial herniation and bilaterally fixed and dilated pupils, aggressive and timely medical and surgical management may lead to substantial rates of survival and favorable functional outcome. Preconceived notions of a universally grim prognosis in such patients can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies.