title: Functional Outcomes of Decompressive Craniectomy in Patients with Malignant Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction and Their Association with Preoperative Thalamus Deformation: An Analysis of 12 Patients.
abstract: Objective Decompressive craniectomy (DC) in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction is known to decrease the mortality rate. However, the functional outcomes (communication and oral intake) of this procedure remain unclear. Most patients with malignant MCA infarction exhibit a loss of consciousness, which may be principally governed by the thalamus. We herein investigated the functional outcomes of DC at 90 days after the onset of malignant MCA infarction and their association with preoperative thalamus deformation, which can occur due to pressure and edema. Methods Twelve of 2,692 patients with acute cerebral infarction were diagnosed with malignant MCA infarction and underwent DC. We evaluated preoperative thalamus damage using brain computed tomography and its association with communication and oral intake abilities and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Barthel index scores at 90 days after stroke onset. Results The mRS score at 90 days was 0-4 in five patients. Seven patients could communicate immediately after surgery, while five could do so by 90 days. Five patients were able to resume the oral intake of food at 90 days. All patients with preoperative thalamus deformation showed a poor recovery, while those with absent or slight preoperative thalamus deformation showed a good recovery. Conclusion Patients with preoperative thalamus deformation caused by pressure and edema show a poor oral intake and communication abilities after DC, suggesting that preoperative thalamus deformation is a predictor of poor functional outcomes after DC in patients with malignant MCA infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukuoka
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Deguchi
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Yuito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagamine
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurita
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takao
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanahashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D056424:Decompressive Craniectomy / Q000379:methods*; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome