title: Epidemiological analysis of 210 cases of surgically treated traumatic extradural hematoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the epidemiology, clinical and radiological presentation of patients with traumatic extradural hematoma (EDH) undergoing neurosurgical procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a chart review of 210 patients admitted to the emergency department with EDH diagnosed by CT scan and surgically treated between August 1998 and January 2008. Variables analyzed were: age, gender, clinical and radiological presentation, mechanism of injury and neurological status at discharge from hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 49.2% trauma mechanism was fall; 89.2% of patients were male, 49.7% of cases had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) between 13 and 15; 61% of patients had age between 20 and 49 years; the location of EDH was the temporo-parietal and temporal in 26.5% and 19.6% of the cases, respectively; 32.8% had associated intracranial lesions, with skull fractures seen in around 45% of cases; 76.2% of surgically treated patients were discharged with minimal or no neurologic deficit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed that, in the study population, EDH appears more often in males, in the fourth decade of life, and is more related to falls. On admission, GCS was observed between 13 and 15 and it is appropriate to mention the involvement of the temporo-parietal region in most cases. We believe that knowledge of the epidemiology of traumatic epidural hematoma can assist in developing public health measures aimed at prevention and early identification of this disease in the population.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Santa Casa de São Paulo. vitorinomed@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: João Luiz Vitorino
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: Ulisses do Prado
authors.initials: Udo P
authors.lastname: Aguiar
authors.forename: Alexandre Bossi
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Todeschini
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saade
authors.forename: José Carlos Esteves
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Veiga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006407:Hematoma, Epidural, Cranial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult