Traumatic acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) is a major clinical entity in traumatic brain injury (TBI). It acts as a space occupying lesion to increase intracranial pressure, and is often complicated by co-existing lesions, and is modified by cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes, coagulopathy, and delayed hematomas. Because of its complicated pathophysiology, the mortality of ASDH is still remaining high. In this review article, its epidemiology, pathophyiology, surgical treatment, and salvage ability are described. With regard to epidemiology, as the population ages, growing number of elderly patients with ASDH, especially patients with prehospital anticoagulant and antiplatelets, increase. Concerning pathophysiology, in addition to well-known initial intracranial hypertension and subsequent ischemia, delayed hyperemia/hyperperfusion, or delayed hematoma is being recognized frequently in recent years. However, optimal treatments for these delayed phenomenons have not been established yet. With regard to surgical procedures, all of craniotomy, decompressive craniectomy, and initial trephination strategies seem to be effective, but superiority of each procedure have not been established yet. Since Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, age, papillary reaction, and computed tomographic findings are strongly correlated to outcome, each factor has been investigated as an indicator of salvage ability. None of them, however, has been defined as such one. In future studies, epidemiological changes as population ages, management of delayed pathophysiology, superiority of each surgical procedures, and salvage ability should be addressed.

Two child and three elderly patients underwent craniotomy for organized and/or partially calcified chronic subdural hematomas (CSHs). The characteristic feature of magnetic resonance imaging was a heterogeneous web-like structure in the hematoma cavity. Both children had undergone one side subduroperitoneal shunt for bilateral CSHs when infants. As a result, the opposite hematoma cavities persisted and developed into calcified CSHs after a couple of years. All three elderly patients with senile brain atrophy showed various systemic complications such as cerebral infarction, diabetes mellitus, leg ulceration, cirrhosis, and bleeding tendency. Craniotomy for removal of the hematoma and calcification achieved good results in all patients. Subdural space created by shunt, craniotomy, or brain atrophy and persisting for a certain period, and additional various brain damage such as microcirculatory disorder, meningitis, encephalitis, or premature delivery may be important in generating calcified or organized CSH.

In recent years, instances of neurotrauma in the elderly have been increasing. This article addresses the clinical characteristics, management strategy, and outcome in elderly patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Falls to the ground either from standing or from heights are the most common causes of TBI in the elderly, since both motor and physiological functions are degraded in the elderly. Subdural, contusional and intracerebral hematomas are more common in the elderly than the young as the acute traumatic intracranial lesion. High frequency of those lesions has been proposed to be associated with increased volume of the subdural space resulting from the atrophy of the brain in the elderly. The delayed aggravation of intracranial hematomas has been also explained by such anatomical and physiological changes present in the elderly. Delayed hyperemia/hyperperfusion may also be a characteristic of the elderly TBI, although its mechanisms are not fully understood. In addition, widely used pre-injury anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies may be associated with delayed aggravation, making the management difficult for elderly TBI. It is an urgent issue to establish preventions and treatments for elderly TBI, since its outcome has been remained poor for more than 40 years.

The number of cases with child abuse is increasing in Japan, and abusive head trauma (AHT) is a major cause of death in abused children. Child abuse has been recognized by the late 19th century, and widely accepted as battered child syndrome in the middle of the 20th century. As terms, there had been considerable mechanistic controversies between shaken-baby and -impact syndrome until the beginning of the 21st century. In recent years, AHT has been utilized as a less mechanistic term. Most of the characteristics of AHT in Japan have been similar to those in the United States as follows: infant is the most common victim, acute subdural hematoma (SDH) is the most common intracranial lesion, and retinal hemorrhage is often complicated. On the other hand, several characteristics have been different as follows: mother is the most common perpetrators, impact is a more common mechanism of trauma than shaking, and external trauma is more common reflecting the existence of impact. Since AHT as well as child abuse is a social pathological phenomenon influenced by victims, perpetrators, socioeconomic circumstances, and so on, various aspects of AHT as well as child abuse can be changed with times. Actually, a recent paper suggests such changes in infants with acute SDH due to AHT. In this review article, AHT, abusive infantile acute SDH in particular, are reviewed from the aspect of neurosurgical perspectives, including its mechanisms of trauma, biomechanics, clinical features, management, and prognosis, to update the trend in Japan.

CSF overproduction caused by bilateral choroid plexus papillomas can result in hydrocephalus. Radical resection of the bilateral ventricular lesions should be considered for this entity. Thorough evaluation of the surgical specimen is recommended because histological examination of only the lobular surface of the choroid plexus lesion may fail to identify choroid plexus neoplasm.