Cerebral Infarction following Acute Subdural Hematoma in Infants and Young Children: Predictors and Significance of FLAIR Vessel Hyperintensity

A phenomenon of cerebral infarction following acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) in infants and young children, termed cerebral infarction following ASDH (CIASDH), has been well recognized, though both its mechanisms and risk factors have been poorly understood. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the predictors for CIASDH in a population of ASDH, and to evaluate the imaging studies to presume the mechanisms of CIASDH. We retrospectively examined consecutive children 6 years of age or younger, who were diagnosed with ASDH and were admitted to our hospital between 2000 and 2014. In 57 consecutive children with ASDH, 12 (21.1%) developed CIASDH. The multivariate analysis revealed five predictors for CIASDH: presence of seizure, consciousness disturbance at admission, absence of skull fracture, hematoma thickness ≥ 5 mm on computed tomography (CT), and midline shift ≥ 3 mm on CT (p < 0.05). In three of six patients (50%) undergoing magnetic resonance (MR) imaging/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) within 5 days of admission, serpentine hyperintensities in the subarachnoid space (FLAIR vessel hyperintensities) were demonstrated. MR angiography showed neither occlusion nor stenosis of the cerebral arteries. Single photon emission CT performed at admission in one patient showed a cerebral blood flow reduction in the ASDH side. All the children with CIASDH showed unfavorable outcomes at discharge. Children showing multiple predictors at admission should be carefully observed for development of CIASDH. Evaluation of the imaging studies suggested that a blood flow disturbance in the level of peripheral arteries to microcirculation was one candidate for possible mechanisms to induce the CIASDH.