[Prognosis and long-term prognosis of epidural haematoma (a study of 83 patients) (author's transl)].

1. Early detection and treatment of epidural haematoma is vital to the chance of survival. In this respect physician's training needs to be improved. 2. The operation method of choice, particularly in the case of advanced midbrain lesions, is the extensive decompression operation (hemicranectomy) with duraplasty. In each case it is imperative to pay special attention to the relationship between blood pressure and brain perfusion until the state of decompressive is reached. 3. Late complications such as a disturbed circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid may occur and should be prevented by a shunt-operation. 4. ECG changes are still detectable even after many years. However, they give little indication on the patient's tendencies to fits. Post-traumatic cases of epilepsy may even occur more than five years after injury. 5. Patients suffering from epidural haematoma are in need of careful medical, psychiatric and social care for many years after injury, even if they seem to have been restored both neurologically and psychiatrically at the time of hospital discharge.