Repair of damaged cortical artery by direct micro-suture in surgical treatment of acute subdural hematoma: technical note

Background In surgical treatment of acute subdural hematoma (ASDH), neurosurgeons frequently encounter bleeding from cortical arteries, which is usually controlled with bipolar coagulation. However, bipolar coagulation is associated with a risk of sacrificing the cortical artery, which may affect the prognosis of neurological symptoms when these cortical arteries supply critical areas. In this article, we describe microsurgical repair of damaged cortical arteries using a 10-0 nylon micro-suture in patients with arterial-origin ASDH. Methods After removal of the subdural hematoma, the exact bleeding point of the cortical artery was identified, and the 10-0 nylon suture stitches were placed on the arterial tear under a microscope. After completion of the micro-suture, vascular patency was confirmed by indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiography. Results From June 2015 through February 2017, microsurgical repair was performed for seven cortical arteries in six patients. All damaged arteries were located near the Sylvian fissure, and all tears were pinhole tears. The average blood flow occlusion time was 8 min (range, 0–15 min). The patency of all seven repaired arteries was successfully confirmed by ICG videoangiography. Postoperative cerebral infarction was not observed except in one patient with cerebral contusion and a history of severe head trauma. Conclusions The present report demonstrates that repair of a cortical artery by the 10-0 nylon micro-suture is a simple and safe method with a low risk of sacrificing the artery. This technique may be a good option in the surgical treatment of arterial-origin ASDH, especially when the accompanying cerebral contusion is minimal.