Although delayed traumatic intracerebral hematomas (DTICHs) have been frequently reported since 1970, the time interval from trauma to hemorrhage and diagnosis has not been well defined. Eight patients with DITCH were found among 1,320 head-injured patients admitted to the neurosurgical service through the emergency department from March 1989 to March 1990. The mean time interval between initial and follow-up CT scan was 22 h. The mean time interval between initial trauma and diagnosis of DITCH was 24 h. One patient was diagnosed incidentally by magnetic resonance imaging. Three patients underwent operation and five patients were managed conservatively. Three patients died, resulting in a case mortality rate of 37.5%. The time interval for DTICHs' development and pitfalls in its diagnosis were discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.