Middle meningeal artery embolization combined with surgical evacuation for chronic subdural hematoma: A single-center experience of 75 cases.

BACKGROUND: Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is a challenging and common neurosurgical condition. Our goal is to demonstrate that middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization combined with surgical evacuation can be a promising adjuvant option for treatment of cSDHs and prevent recurrence in symptomatic patients who require surgical treatment.

METHOD: We retrospectively collected data from patients who underwent MMA embolization using polyvinyl alcohol particles and surgical evacuation with burr hole or craniotomy in a single center for the treatment of new and recurrent cSDHs. The primary outcome was recurrence of cSDH requiring surgical rescue during follow up, and secondary outcomes were defined as >50% decrease in the maximum width of cSDHs on the longest follow-up computed tomography (CT) scan, complications following procedure, and improvement in modified Rankin scale (mRS) score.

RESULTS: A total of 51 patients successfully underwent 72 MMA embolization procedures (96% of the total 75 cases in the cohort) combined with surgical evacuation. Seventy cases (93.3%) achieved at least 50% reduction in the size of the cSDHs on the last CT imaging. A surgical evacuation was required in five cases (6.7%) due to cSDH recurrence during the follow-up period. There were three complications (6.0%) related to embolization procedure. Forty patients (78.4%) showed improvement in mRS score. There was one mortality (2%) regardless of the embolization and evacuation.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of adjunct MMA embolization in significantly reducing size and recurrence of cSDHs.