Large Size Hemicraniectomy Reduces Early Herniation in Malignant Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction

Background: Decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) reduces mortality and improves outcome after malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (MMI) but early in-hospital mortality remains high between 22 and 33%. Possibly, this circumstance is driven by cerebral herniation due to space-occupying brain swelling despite decompressive surgery. As the size of the removed bone flap may vary considerably between surgeons, a size too small could foster herniation. Here, we investigated the effect of the additional volume created by an extended DHC (eDHC) on early in-hospital mortality in patients suffering from MMI. Methods: We performed a retrospective single-center cohort study of 97 patients with MMI that were treated either with eDHC (n = 40) or standard DHC (sDHC; n = 57) between January 2006 and June 2012. The primary study end point was defined as in-hospital mortality due to transtentorial herniation. Results: In-hospital mortality due to transtentorial herniation was significantly lower after eDHC (0 vs. 11%; p = 0.04), which was paralleled by a significantly larger volume of the craniectomy (p < 0.001) and less cerebral swelling (eDHC 21% vs. sDHC 25%; p = 0.03). No statistically significant differences were found in surgical or non-surgical complications and postoperative intensive care treatment. Conclusion: Despite a more aggressive surgical approach, eDHC may reduce early in-hospital mortality and limit transtentorial herniation. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm our results and assess general safety of eDHC.