Effect of local mild hypothermia following decompressive craniectomy on encephalocele complications in patients with craniocerebral injury

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of local mild hypothermia following decompressive craniectomy on encephalocele complications in patients with craniocerebral injury.Methods Eighty-six patients with severe brain injury were performed neurosurgical decompressive craniectomy in our hospital from January 2002 to December 2009. After the surgery, 32 were given routine treatment and 54 received processing adjuvant treatment with mild hypothermia. All patients were performed Glasgow coma scale (GCS), and the levels of the intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) were detected 12 h after the surgery but before the hypothermia treatment. The condition of encephalocele, the levels of ICP and CPP were determined 7 d after surgery. Results No significant differences on age, sex ratio, injury time, GCSscores and the levels of ICP, CPP and SaO2 before treatment with mild hypothermia were found between the conventional treatment group and the mild hypothermia treatment group (P＞0.05). Significantly lower incidence rate and degree of encephalocele, statistically lower level of ICP, but obviously higher level of CPP in the mild hypothermia treatment group were found as compared with those in the conventional treatment group 7 d after the surgery (P＜0.05). Conclusion Mild hypothermia adjunctive therapy after decompressive craniectomy can improve the level of cerebral perfusion, decrease the level of ICP and reduce the incidence rate and degree ofencephalocele, having functional benefit in the recovery of brain injury. Key words: Traumatic brain injury; Neurosurgical procedures; Local mild hypothermia; Encephalocele