ABSTRACT: | Full Text PDF
BACKGROUND: Posterior fossa extradural haematoma occurring as a result of traumatic head injury make up one of the most serious emergencies.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of Posterior fossa extradural haematoma in our setup.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This descriptive study was conduced at Department of Neurosurgery Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro / Hyderabad over a period of 18 months from July 2007 to Dec 2008. Patients with head injuries admitted during the study period were evaluated. Patients with extradural hematoma observed on CT scan were included in the study. Data was recorded on pre-designed proforma.
RESULT: Ten male patients with age ranged from 7 to 30 years with a mean age of 18.5 years were found with posterior fossa extradural hematoma. The cause of injury was fall from height in 5 cases (50%), road traffic accident in 3 cases (30%) and assault in 2 cases (20%). All patients had evidence of external injury to the occipital area. Most of the patients were neurologically intact except for 3 patients whose GCS was 8 or below at the time of admission. One patient expired before reaching the operation theater. All other patients showed good recovery.
CONCLUSION: Posterior fossa extradural haematoma are usually asymptomatic initially. After this silent phase, clinical deterioration is rapid and can be lethal. Every patient of occipital trauma should be investigated with CT scan.