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CASE REPORT article

Front. Surg.

Sec. Neurosurgery

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1643743

Acute brain swelling due to intraoperative supratentorial subdural hematoma during microvascular decompression: a case report

Provisionally accepted
  • Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: Microvascular decompression (MVD) is the primary treatment for cranial neurovascular compression syndromes. The most critical complication is hemorrhage during or after surgery. Although intraoperative supratentorial subdural hematoma (SDH) is uncommon, its management remains complex and lacks standardization. Case presentation: We report a case of acute brain swelling caused by an intraoperative supratentorial subdural hematoma during microvascular decompression (MVD) for trigeminal neuralgia. By effectively managing intracranial pressure and preventing secondary brain injury, the operation was successfully completed, resulting in a favorable postoperative recovery for the patient. Conclusion: This study examines the presentation and management of acute brain swelling caused by intraoperative supratentorial subdural hematoma (SDH). We aim to highlight the importance of being vigilant for this rare complication during microvascular decompression (MVD), as it can result in fatal brain swelling and encephalocele. Preventing and managing this severe complication remains challenging.

Keywords: Microvascular decompression, Trigeminal Neuralgia, subdural hematoma, Encephalocele - complications, complication

Received: 09 Jun 2025; Accepted: 06 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Shi, Cao and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Qiang Zhou, zhouqiang507@126.com

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