Malignant middle cerebral artery infarction:: Medical or surgical treatment?

Introduction. Post-ischemic brain edema occurs in 10-20% of cases of infarction of the middle cerebral artery and is the main cause of early death following a completed stroke. This complication, which is known as malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (MMCI), has a mortality rate of 78% when treated medically and thus requires a different management, such as a decompressive craniectomy. The main aim of this study is to review this procedure. Development. We conducted a search in the literature published over the last 20 years on this subject. Most of the studies are series of clinical cases with very favourable surgical outcomes. In non-random case-control studies the mortality rate was seen to decrease in the surgical group, and more so if the intervention was carried out early, as compared to the group that underwent medical treatment. Another study that compared decompressive craniectomy with hypothermia showed a higher survival rate in the surgical group. The post-surgery morbidity rate has not been determined, although it seems to be lower in infarction of the non-dominant hemisphere and in younger patients. Conclusions. The low degree of conclusiveness of the studies published to date only enables us to offer one practical opinion concerning this issue: decompressive craniectomy should be evaluated on an individual basis in patients with MMCI who do not respond to medical treatment. The final decision and the most appropriate moment to operate on the patient following the stroke must be based on the family's opinion and on the clinical features of the patient.