Browsing by Author "Tapper, Julius"

The role of decompressive craniectomy as a cure in traumatic brain injuries has been widely been discussed. Therefore our aim was to assess the independent effect of decompressive craniectomy the outcome and mortality of the patient. We conducted an open-cohort retrospective study on adult blunt TBI patients. Patients were divided into three groups; conservative treatment, acute craniotomy and mass lesion evacuation (craniotomy) and decompressive craniectomy. Outcome was assessed using Glasgow Outcome Scale and overall mortality six months after the operation. The adjusted multivariate analysis did not show an independent association between decompressive craniectomy and mortality. Decompressive craniectomy prooved to be an independent risk factor for poor neurological outcome with an OR of 3.06. In conclusion, operating TBI patients with decompressive craniectomy was found to be a life-saving intervention for patients who in other cases were destined to die. For stronger evidence this subject needs more research of a prospective type.