Surgical treatment of acute subdural hygroma in children.

During the years 1967-1984, 91 children were operated on because of acute compressive traumatic intracranial hematoma: 16 (17%) had traumatic acute subdural hygromas. These were unilateral in 12 cases and bilateral in 4. The causes of injury were traffic accidents in 11 children, a fall in 1, and acute deceleration injuries in 5. Nine children suffered multiple injuries to the thorax, inferior extremities, and pelvis. Clinical manifestations and evolution of clinical symptoms included changes in conscious level, palsy, high fever, nystagmus, maximum dilation of either pupil and spontaneous, irregular breathing. The diagnosis was made on the basis of the clinical picture and supplementary clinical investigations: CT, EEG, echoencephalography, isotope cisternography, and arteriography. Treatment was by simple trephination of the cranium and evacuation of hygromatous liquid. All children survived the surgical treatment; 1 child died after the operation and 2 developed hydrocephalus.