Remote Cerebellar Hemorrhage: an unusual cause of post-operative deterioration in neurosurgical patients

Hemorragia Cerebelar Remota: uma causa incomum de deterioração pós-operatória em pacientes neurocirúrgicos

• Adegboye Olakunle Michael    
• Ndafia Michael Ned    
• Okwunodulu Okwuoma    
• Abubakar Yahaya    
• Akwada Obioma Richards    
• Achebe David Sunday Ndubuisi    
• Campbell Chukwuebuka Francis    
• Nwabueze Uche Will    
• Hart Idawarifagha    
• Ndubuisi Chika Anele    
• Ohaegbulam Samuel Chukwunonyerem    

• https://doi.org/10.22290/jbnc.2025.22081551
• J Bras Neurocirur 36 (4):547-552, 2025

Resumo

A deterioração neurológica pós-operatória em pacientes neurocirúrgicos pode resultar de causas variadas. Apesar das precauções tomadas para prevenir complicações pós-operatórias decorrentes de fatores de risco comuns, algumas complicações raras ainda ocorrem e, por vezes, são atribuíveis a fatores distantes do local da cirurgia. Relatamos dois casos de hemorragia cerebelar remota que foram gerenciados em nossa instituição, o primeiro caso após drenagem de higroma subdural por trepanação e o outro após descompressão da coluna lombar com vazamento inadvertido de líquido cefalorraquidiano durante a operação. Ambos os pacientes apresentaram deterioração neurológica dentro de 72 horas após a cirurgia e exames de tomografia computadorizada cerebral revelaram hemorragia cerebelar.

Palavras-chave

Hemorragia cerebelar espontânea; Sangramento cerebelar pós-operatório; Vazamento de líquido cefalorraquidiano

Abstract

Post-operative neurological deterioration in a neurosurgical patient can result from varied causes. In spite of precautions taken to prevent these post-operative complications arising from common risk factors, some rare complications still occur and sometimes attributable to factors remote from the route of surgery. We report two cases of remote cerebellar hemorrhage that were managed in our facility, the first case followed burr hole drainage for subdural hygroma and the other after lumbar spine decompression with inadvertent intra-operative cerebrospinal spinal fluid leakage. Both patients had neurologic deterioration within 72 hours of surgery and brain computed tomography scans in both patients revealed cerebellar hemorrhage.

Keywords

Spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage; Post-operative cerebellar bleeding; Cerebrospinal fluid leak

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1Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.

2Department of Neurosurgery, Memfys Hospital, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria.

3Department of Neurosurgery, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria.

4Department of Surgery, Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, Delta State, Nigeria.

 

Received Apr 20, 2025

Accepted Apr 28, 2025