Role of disturbance coefficient in monitoring and treatment of cerebral edema in patients with cerebral hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: At present, the conventional methods for diagnosing cerebral edema in clinical practice are computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which can evaluate the location and degree of peripheral cerebral edema, but cannot realize quantification. When patients have symptoms of diffuse cerebral edema or high cranial pressure, CT or MRI often suggests that cerebral edema is lagging and cannot be dynamically monitored in real time. Intracranial pressure monitoring is the gold standard, but it is an invasive operation with high cost and complications. For clinical purposes, the ideal cerebral edema monitoring should be non-invasive, real-time, bedside, and continuous dynamic monitoring. The disturbance coefficient (DC) was used in this study to dynamically monitor the occurrence, development, and evolution of cerebral edema in patients with cerebral hemorrhage in real time, and review head CT or MRI to evaluate the development of the disease and guide further treatment, so as to improve the prognosis of patients with cerebral hemorrhage.

AIM: To offer a promising new approach for non-invasive adjuvant therapy in cerebral edema treatment.

METHODS: A total of 160 patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Medical University from September 2018 to September 2019 were recruited. The patients were randomly divided into a control group (n = 80) and an experimental group (n = 80). Patients in the control group received conventional empirical treatment, while those in the experimental group were treated with mannitol dehydration under the guidance of DC. Subsequently, we compared the two groups with regards to the total dosage of mannitol, the total course of treatment, the incidence of complications, and prognosis.

RESULTS: The mean daily consumption of mannitol, the total course of treatment, and the mean hospitalization days were 362.7 ± 117.7 mL, 14.8 ± 5.2 days, and 29.4 ± 7.9 in the control group and 283.1 ± 93.6 mL, 11.8 ± 4.2 days, and 23.9 ± 8.3 in the experimental group (P < 0.05). In the control group, there were 20 patients with pulmonary infection (25%), 30 with electrolyte disturbance (37.5%), 20 with renal impairment (25%), and 16 with stress ulcer (20%). In the experimental group, pulmonary infection occurred in 18 patients (22.5%), electrolyte disturbance in 6 (7.5%), renal impairment in 2 (2.5%), and stress ulcers in 15 (18.8%) (P < 0.05). According to the Glasgow coma scale score 6 months after discharge, the prognosis of the control group was good in 20 patients (25%), fair in 26 (32.5%), and poor in 34 (42.5%); the prognosis of the experimental group was good in 32 (40%), fair in 36 (45%), and poor in 12 (15%) (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Using DC for non-invasive dynamic monitoring of cerebral edema demonstrates considerable clinical potential. It reduces mannitol dosage, treatment duration, complication rates, and hospital stays, ultimately lowering hospitalization costs. Additionally, it improves overall patient prognosis, offering a promising new approach for non-invasive adjuvant therapy in cerebral edema treatment.