Does the skull Hounsfield unit predict shunt dependent hydrocephalus after decompressive craniectomy for traumatic acute subdural hematoma?

Background and purpose Posttraumatic hydrocephalus affects 11.9%–36% of patients undergoing decompressive craniectomy (DC) after traumatic brain injury and necessitates a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt placement. As bone and arachnoid trabeculae share the same collagen type, we investigated possible connections between the skull Hounsfield unit (HU) values and shunt-dependent hydrocephalus (SDHC) in patients that received cranioplasty after DC for traumatic acute subdural hematoma (SDH). Methods We measured HU values in the frontal bone and internal occipital protuberance from admission brain CT. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify the optimal cut-off skull HU values for predicting SDHC in patients receiving cranioplasty after DC due to traumatic acute SDH. We investigated independent predictive factors for SDHC occurrence using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 162 patients (>15 years of age) were enrolled in the study over an 11-year period from two university hospitals. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed that the group with simultaneous frontal skull HU ≤797.4 and internal occipital protuberance HU ≤586.5 (odds ratio, 8.57; 95% CI, 3.05 to 24.10; P<0.001) was the only independent predictive factor for SDHC in patients who received cranioplasty after DC for traumatic acute SDH. Conclusions Our study reveals a potential relationship between possible low bone mineral density and development of SDHC in traumatic acute SDH patients who had undergone DC. Our findings provide deeper insight into the association between low bone mineral density and hydrocephalus after DC for traumatic acute SDH.