Burr-Hole Craniostomy with T-Tube Drainage as Surgical Treatment for Chronic Subdural Hematoma.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the effect of burr-hole craniostomy with T-tube drainage to treat chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH).

METHODS: Eighty-seven patients with CSDH who were recruited from January 2012 to June 2017 at the Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Medical University, were divided into 2 groups according to the method of drainage: T-tube drainage system (n = 45) and conventional subdural drainage system (n = 42). Retrospective analysis of clinical data and efficacy was performed between the 2 groups.

RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, preoperative Markwalder grade scale, preoperative hematoma volume, hospitalization days, and discharge Markwalder grade scale between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications and hematoma recurrence in the group of patients with T-tube drainage was significantly reduced when compared with conventional subdural drainage systems (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Both methods were effective in the treatment of CSDH; however, we found a lower overall surgical complication rate following treatment with burr-hole craniostomy and T-tube drainage. This indicates that it may be a better therapeutic option for management of CSDH.