An updated review for clinical and radiological predictors of acute intraparenchymal hematoma progression in cerebral contusion.

Backgrounds: The rapid expansion of an intraparenchymal hematoma following cerebral contusion often results in high mortality rates and a poor prognosis. Effective tools are essential for predicting and monitoring the incidence of traumatic intraparenchymal hematoma (tICH) and identifying patients at high risk of tICH expansion. This enables timely surgical interventions and appropriate medical management. Recently, numerous novel predictive tools have been developed and employed to predict tICH progression. Therefore, this review aims to outline the latest advancements in predicting tICH expansion.

Methods: To find relevant studies, a search was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar for articles published from January 2020 to April 2024. The search string used was (Cerebral Contusion) AND (Intraparenchymal Hematoma Progression OR Parenchymal Hematoma Expansion OR Intracerebral Hemorrhage Progression) AND (Predictor or Forecasting Tool).

Results: In this narrative review, we focused on various radiological, clinical, and innovative indicators of acute tICH progression that have been developed and/or validated in recently years. Additionally, we explore the impact of tICH progression on long-term outcomes, suggesting potential avenues for future research. The spread of depolarization in the cortex could be a key factor in forecasting and controlling the growth of tICH in the times ahead.

Conclusions: This study offers a comprehensive look at various cutting-edge imaging predictors, inflammatory indices, and integrated predictors that can aid neurosurgeons in categorizing, handling, and treating high-risk patients with acute tICH expansion.