Impact of timing of cranioplasty on hydrocephalus after decompressive hemicraniectomy in malignant middle cerebral artery infarction

•100 pts. with large hemispheric infarctions and decomp. craniectomy were analyzed.•Frequency of hydrocephalus development was 10% in our cohort.•Patients who developed hydrocephalus had an earlier time point of cranioplasty.

ObjectivePatients with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction frequently develop hydrocephalus after decompressive hemicraniectomy. Hydrocephalus itself and known shunt related complications after ventriculo-peritoneal shunt implantation may negatively impact patientś outcome. Here, we aimed to identify factors associated with the development of hydrocephalus after decompressive hemicraniectomy in malignant middle cerebral artery infarction.Patients and methodsA total of 99 consecutive patients with the diagnosis of large hemispheric infarctions and the indication for decompressive hemicraniectomy were included. We retrospectively evaluated patient characteristics (gender, age and selected preoperative risk factors), stroke characteristics (side, stroke volume and existing mass effect) and surgical characteristics (size of the bone flap, initial complication rate, time to cranioplasty, complication rate following cranioplasty, type of implant, number of revision surgeries and mortality).ResultsFrequency of hydrocephalus development was 10% in our cohort. Patients who developed a hydrocephalus had an earlier time point of bone flap reimplantation compared to the control group (no hydrocephalus = 164 ± 104 days, hydrocephalus = 108 ± 52 days, p < 0.05). Additionally, numbers of revision surgeries after cranioplasty was associated with hydrocephalus with a trend towards significance (p = 0.08).ConclusionCommunicating hydrocephalus is frequent in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction after decompressive hemicraniectomy. A later time point of cranioplasty might lead to a lower incidence of required shunting procedures in general as we could show in our patient cohort.