Neurológia pre prax 6/2021

An overview of surgical procedures in patients with severe traumatic brain injury

Treatment of patients with severe traumatic brain injuries is an inseparable part of neurosurgical practice. It is typically a matter of multidisciplinary approach and from neurosurgical point of view it includes methods of invasive neuromonitoring, control of intracranial pressure, evacuation of cerebrospinal fluid and traumatic intracranial hematomas as well as methods of external decompression of the intracranial vault. Using these means we aim to minimise the damage originating from the primary insult, but mostly to reduce and prevent a development of secondary brain injury. Operated patients are also often treated by associated specialists such as intensive care unit physicians, neurologists and trauma surgeons. Basal knowledge about possibilities of neurosurgical interventions in patients with traumatic brain injuries is therefore surely necessary. In this work, we provide an overview of the most frequently used neurosurgical procedures indicated in patients with severe traumatic brain injuries and summarize.

Keywords: traumatic brain injury, intracranial hypertension, decompressive craniectomy, extracerebral hematoma, brain contusion, brain edema