OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that the risk of infections after primary cranioplasty in adult patients who underwent craniectomies for non-infection-related indications are no different when performed early or delayed. We tested this hypothesis in a prospective, multicenter, cohort study.
METHODS: Data were collected prospectively from 5 neurosurgical centers in the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, and Bangladesh. Only patients older than 16 years from the time of the non-infection-related craniectomy were included. The recruitment period was over 17 months, and postoperative follow-up was at least 6 months. Patient baseline characteristics, rate of infections, and incidence of hydrocephalus were collected.
RESULTS: Seventy patients were included in this study. There were 25 patients in the early cranioplasty cohort (cranioplasty performed before 12 weeks) and 45 patients in the late cranioplasty cohort (cranioplasty performed after 12 weeks). The follow-up period ranged between 16 and 34 months (mean, 23 months). Baseline characteristics were largely similar but differed only in prophylactic antibiotics received (P = 0.28), and primary surgeon performing cranioplasty (P = 0.15). There were no infections in the early cranioplasty cohort, whereas 3 infections were recorded in the late cohort. This did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.55).
CONCLUSIONS: Early cranioplasty in non-infection-related craniectomy is relatively safe. There does not appear to be an added advantage to delaying cranioplasties more than 12 weeks after the initial craniectomy in terms of infection reduction. There was no significant difference in infection rates or risk of hydrocephalus between the early and late cohorts.
METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial at 2 centers. A total of 78 patients requiring DC were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio into 3 groups: vacuum drains (VD), passive drains (PD), and no drains (ND). Complications studied were need for surgical revision, SGH amount, new remote hematomas, postcraniectomy hydrocephalus (PCH), functional outcomes, and mortality.
RESULTS: Only 1 VD patient required surgical revision to evacuate SGH. There was no difference in SGH thickness and volume among the 3 drain types (P = 0.171 and P = 0.320, respectively). Rate of new remote hematoma and PCH was not significantly different (P = 0.647 and P = 0.083, respectively), but the ND group did not have any patient with PCH. In the subgroup analysis of 49 patients with traumatic brain injury, the SGH amount of the PD and ND group was significantly higher than that of the VD group. However, these higher amounts did not translate as a significant risk factor for poor functional outcome or mortality. VD may have better functional outcome and mortality.
CONCLUSIONS: In terms of complication rates, VD, PD, and ND may be used safely in DC. A higher amount of SGH was not associated with poorer outcomes. Further studies are needed to clarify the advantage of VD regarding functional outcome and mortality, and if ND reduces PCH rates.