title: Surgical management of acute subdural hematomas.
abstract: An acute subdural hematoma (SDH) with a thickness greater than 10 mm or a midline shift greater than 5 mm on computed tomographic (CT) scan should be surgically evacuated, regardless of the patient's Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score. All patients with acute SDH in coma (GCS score less than 9) should undergo intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring. A comatose patient (GCS score less than 9) with an SDH less than 10-mm thick and a midline shift less than 5 mm should undergo surgical evacuation of the lesion if the GCS score decreased between the time of injury and hospital admission by 2 or more points on the GCS and/or the patient presents with asymmetric or fixed and dilated pupils and/or the ICP exceeds 20 mm Hg.
  
  
  METHODS
  In patients with acute SDH and indications for surgery, surgical evacuation should be performed as soon as possible.
  
  
  METHODS
  If surgical evacuation of an acute SDH in a comatose patient (GCS < 9) is indicated, it should be performed using a craniotomy with or without bone flap removal and duraplasty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: M Ross
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bullock
authors.forename: Randall
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chesnut
authors.forename: Jamshid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ghajar
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hartl
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Newell
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Servadei
authors.forename: Beverly C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: Jack E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Wilberger
mesh_terms: D019468:Disease Management; D020199:Hematoma, Subdural, Acute / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*