Subdural to subgaleal shunts: alternative treatment in infants with nonaccidental traumatic brain injury?

OBJECT The ideal treatment for subdural hematomas (SDHs) in infants remains debated. The aim of this study was to analyze the safety and efficiency of subduro-subgaleal drainage in SDH. METHODS The authors conducted a single-center open-label study between August 2011 and May 2012. Data were prospectively collected in a database and retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS Eighteen patients (male/female ratio 1.25) with a median age of 5 months were surgically treated. All had preoperative symptoms of intracranial hypertension or seizures. The SDH was bilateral in 16 cases, with a median width of 12 mm. Success of the procedure was noted in 14 of the 18 patients. There was no intraoperative complication or postoperative infection. Drainage failure was attributable to suboptimal positioning of the subdural drain in 2 cases and to migration in 1 case. CONCLUSIONS Subduro-subgaleal drainage is an efficient treatment that could be proposed as an alternative to external subdural drainage or subduroperitoneal drainage.