• Ibrahem Albalkhi, Marwan Alaswad, Tariq Saleh, Abdulrahaman Senjab, Baraa Helal, and Jibran Ahmad Khan.
• Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Neuroradiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ibrahimnasseroffcial@gmail.com.
• World Neurosurg. 2024 Feb 1; 182: e829e836e829-e836.

BackgroundChronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a frequently encountered neurosurgical disease among the elderly. The mainstay treatment involves surgical evacuation, but recurrence rates of approximately 13% pose complications. Adjuvant treatments, including tranexamic acid (TXA), have been explored, yet consensus on their efficacy and safety in elderly patients remains uncertain. The study aims to examine the role of TXA as adjunctive therapy in reducing CSDH recurrence and explore any potential association between TXA use and thrombotic events in this patient population.MethodsThe systematic review and meta-analysis adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and Cochrane Handbook standards, searching databases up to July 2023 for randomized controlled trials and propensity-matched cohorts evaluating adjuvant TXA. The primary outcome was CSDH recurrence, and the secondary outcome was thrombosis risk, measured as relative risks.ResultsA total of 6 studies were included, comprising 1403 patients with CSDH who underwent surgical treatment. Four studies were randomized controlled trials, while the other 2 were propensity-matched cohorts. The overall pooled relative risk for CSDH recurrence in the TXA group compared to the control group was 0.41 (95% confidence interval [0.29-0.59], P < 0.01), indicating a significant reduction in recurrence with TXA treatment.ConclusionsIn conclusion, our study indicates that adjuvant TXA may help reduce CSDH recurrence in elderly patients undergoing surgical treatment. However, the study has limitations and there is a need for further research to validate these findings.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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