[Chronic subdural hematoma in young patients].

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to analyse demographic, clinical and radiological findings and surgical results in a series of chronic subdural haematomas (CSDH) in young adult patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective study included 42 patients under 40 years of age who were diagnosed and surgically treated for a CSDH during a 30-year period (1982-2011).

RESULTS

Of the 42 cases analysed, 32 were males and 10 were females, and the mean age at diagnosis was 29.3±8.9 years (range: 4 to 39 years). The mean interval from trauma to appearance of clinical symptoms was 33.4±9.7 days (range: 19 to 95 days). The main symptoms were headache (59.5%) and seizures (21.4%), and the most frequent predisposing factors were ventriculoperitoneal shunting in 5 (11.9%) patients and haematological disorders in another 5 (11.9%) cases. CSDH was right-sided in 21 cases (50%), left-sided in 19 cases (45.3%) and bilateral in the remaining 2 patients (4.7%). Postoperative complications occurred in 2 patients (1 recurrence and 1 acute subdural haematoma).

CONCLUSIONS

CSDH is a rare pathology during the first decades of life. It mainly affects males and headache is usually the first symptom. Prognosis is good in young patients, since postoperative complications and recurrences are less frequent at this age than in older populations.