• Almir Ferreira de Andrade, Wellingson Silva Paiva, Robson Luis Oliveira de Amorim, Eberval Gadelha Figueiredo, Antonio Nogueira de Almeida, Roger Schmidt Brock, Edson Bor-Seng-Shu, and Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira.
• Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Clinical's Hospital, University of São Paulo Medical School, SP, Brazil.
• Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2011 Feb 1;69(1):79-84.

BackgroundVentricular drainage has played an important role in the management of traumatic brain-injured patients. The aim of the present study was describe outcomes in a series of 57 patients with diffuse brain swelling underwent to intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring.MethodFifty-eight patients with diffuse posttraumatic brain swelling, were evaluated prospectively. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of patients varied from 4 to 12. Patients groups divided according to GCS and age. Patient neurological assessment was classified as favorable, unfavorable, and death.ResultsMechanisms of injury were vehicle accidents in 72.4% and falls in 15.6%. 54% of patients had GCS scores between 6 and 8. There were no statistical differences, regarding outcome, between groups separated by age. In the adults group (n=47), 44.7% evolved favorably.ConclusionOur results indicate a poor prognosis in patients with brain swelling. We believe that continuous ventricular CSF drainage with ICP monitoring is a simple method as an adjunct in the management of these patients.

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