Spontaneous resolution of an acute epidural hematoma with normal intracranial pressure: case report and literature review

Traumatic epidural hematomas are critical emergencies in neurosurgery, and patients symptomatic from acute epidural hematomas are typically treated with rapid surgical decompression. However, some patients, if asymptomatic, may be treated with close clinical observation and serial imaging. Although rare, rapid spontaneous resolution of epidural hematomas in the pediatric population has even been reported, with only seven cases in the literature. Numerous theories have been proposed to explain the pathophysiology behind these cases, including egress of epidural collections through cranial discontinuities (fractures/open sutures), blood that originates in the subgaleal space, and bleeding from the cranial diploic cavity after a skull fracture that preferentially expands into the subgaleal space. We report the case of a rapidly resolving epidural hematoma in a 13-year-old boy. This case allows for more detailed inferences to be made concerning the nature of the epidural hematoma’s resolution, as it is the first reported case in which an intracranial pressure monitor has been utilized. We also review the literature and discuss the nature of rapid spontaneous epidural hematoma resolution.