Chronic Subdural Hematoma in the Aged

A total of 106 patients of chronic subdural hematoma was found during 10 years from 1963 through 1972.Of these 24(22.6 per cent) were older than 60 years old.Clinical analysis of these 24 patients was presented and the following results were obtained:1.A history of head injury was taken in 23 patients (96 per cent).2.Initial symptoms were gait disturbance in 67 per cent,psychiatric manifstations in 38 per cent,headache in 29 per cent and vomiting in 17 per cent.3.A half of the patients had been first admitted to medical wards umder the diagnosis of cerebral vascular lesion and others.4.Neurological signs and stympotoms on admission to the Neurosurgical Department were hemiparesis in 75 per cent,headache in only 38 per cent and choked disc in only 25 per cent.Psychiatric symptoms were found in one-sixth to one-fourth of the patients.Characteristically,urinary incontinence was found in 33 per cent of the total and in 50 per cent of the alert patients.Remission was observed in one-third of the patients.5.Clinical diagnosis on admission to the Neurosurgical Department was folowing;chronic subdural hematoma in 63 per cent,brain tumor in 17 per cent and cerebral vascular lesion in 8 per cent.6.Results of surgical treatment were excellent.There were no surgical mortality and no surgical morbidity.Carotid angiography was safe and essential procedure even in the aged.