Brain stem hemorrhage after burr hole drainage of chronic subdural hematoma; report of two cases

Abstract

Background: Brain stem hemorrhage after burr hole drainage of chronic subdural hematoma is a very rare complication with only 11 cases reported.Case report: We present two cases of male patients, both over sixty years old who presented with chronic subdural hematoma and developed brain stem hemorrhage limited to the middle mesencephalic region after burr hole draining. Conclusion: Surgical drainage of chronic subdural hematoma must be carefully done especially when there is a great midline shift. Because of the local blood flow changes in the brain stem, any sudden decompression will increase the risk of bleeding.

Keywords

• Hematoma
• Subdural
• Chronic intracranial hemorrhages
• Decompression post-operative hemorrhage
• Duret's hemorrhage
• Brain stem hemorrhage