title: Neurosurgical Injuries Caused by the 2011 Van Earthquake: The Experience at the Van Regional Training and Research Hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  On October 23, 2011, a devastating earthquake, magnitude 7.2 on the Richter Scale, jolted the province of Van in the east of Turkey and led to hundreds of casualties.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we aimed to present our clinical experience in the management of patients with cranial and spinal injuries who were admitted to the Van Regional Training and Research Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  The retrospective study included 44 (77.2%) patients who were referred to the neurosurgery department after being diagnosed with spinal and cranial injuries due to earthquake at the emergency department between October 23 and 27, 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients comprised 32 male (72.7%) and 12 (27.3%) female patients with a mean age of 23.5 years. The injuries included scalp injury (n = 16), burst fracture (n=7), compression fracture (n=3), epidural hematoma (n=9), subdural hematoma (n=3), contusion (n=1), traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (n=2), depressed skull fracture (n=3), linear fracture (n=9), cervical fracture (n=2), and pneumocephalus (n=1). Most of the patients (90.9%) had isolated injuries and the others (9.1%) presented with combined cranial and spinal injuries. At discharge, the 3 patients with spinal fractures were paraplegic, and of the 2 patients who were operatively treated due to subdural hematoma, 1 was hemiparesic and the other was hemiplegic. No mortality occurred in our patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study demonstrated that, in the aftermath of a natural disaster, conducting correct triage procedures and performing a prompt intervention with appropriate and qualified equipment play key roles in reducing morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Yuzuncu Yil University, School of Medicine, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdurrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aycan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Van Region Training and Research Hospital, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ulaş
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Yener
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Van Region Training and Research Hospital, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nur
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aycan
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Van Region Training and Research Hospital, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Edip
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gönüllü
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dicle University, School of Medicine, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Recep
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dursun
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Yuzuncu Yil University, School of Medicine, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hayriye
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gönüllü
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D055866:Earthquakes; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology; D013124:Spinal Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: earthquake; injury; neurosurgery