Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32691196›Full record

ArticleChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2021

Immediate replacement of bone flap after craniotomy for empyema in children.

Charlotte Dandurand, Cristina Schaurich, Mandeep Tamber, Patrick McDonald, Paul Steinbok

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Predictors of need for delayed bone flap removal following primary craniotomy for subdural and extradural empyema in the paediatric population.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Charlotte DandurandDivision of Neurosurgery, Vancouver General Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Charlotte.dandurand@alumni.ubc.ca.ORCID 0000-0002-4520-6454
Cristina SchaurichDivision of Neurosurgery, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Mandeep TamberDivision of Neurosurgery, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Patrick McDonaldDivision of Neurosurgery, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Paul SteinbokDivision of Neurosurgery, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
University of British Columbia · CAUniversity of British Columbia Hospital · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeOptimal management of the bone flap after craniotomy for intracranial infection has not been well defined in the pediatric population. This study reviewed the outcomes of a single Canadian center where immediate replacement of the bone flap was standard practice.

methodsThis is a retrospective study of all patients who underwent craniotomies for evacuation of epidural or subdural empyema at a single center from 1982 to 2018. Patients were identified using the prospective surgical database maintained by the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at BC Children's Hospital. Primary outcome was treatment failure, defined as reoperation at the site of initial surgery for removal of an infected bone flap or repeat drainage of empyema under the replaced bone flap. Secondary outcome was any reoperation for recurrent infection at any site.

resultsTwenty-four patients met the inclusion criteria with a minimum of 3-month follow-up from the index intervention. Treatment failure occurred in four patients (17%), all of whom required repeat surgery for further drainage of pus underlying the bone flap. Mean time to repeat surgery was 13 days. Any reoperation for recurrent infection at any site occurred in three patients. Seven out of 24 patients required a second surgery to evacuate empyema (29.2%). Age, sex, epidural or subdural location, osteomyelitis, and bone flap wash were not associated with the primary outcome of treatment failure.

conclusionImmediate replacement of the bone flap in the surgical management of pediatric subdural or epidural empyema is reasonable. Replacing the flap at the time of first surgery avoids the morbidity and costs of a subsequent reconstructive operation.

Indexed as

EmpyemaEmpyema, SubduralCanadaChildCraniotomyHumansProspective StudiesRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeEpidural empyemaInfectionPediatricReoperationSubdural empyema

Identifiers

PMID32691196
OpenAlexW3045230619

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.