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Management of delayed post-traumatic tension pneumoventricle in a resource-limited setting: a report of two cases

2024; Volume: 14; Linguagem: Inglês

10.11604/pamj-cm.2024.14.37.43330

2707-2797

Ousmane Issoufou Hamma, Ousmane Aboubacar Idrissa, Mahamane Mobarak Salifou Abdou, Avocefohoun Chanel Angelo, Sahidou Sani Mato, Souleymane Mahamadou Ango,

Pleural and Pulmonary Diseases

Delayed post-traumatic pneumoventricle tension is characterized by a pathological accumulation of air in the cerebral ventricles after 72 hours of head trauma. This is a rare neurosurgical emergency that occurs following a skull base fracture complicated by an osteodural defect without pneumocephalus or, more rarely, as a complication of simple acute post-traumatic pneumoventricle. This is a challenge in low-income countries due to limited access to brain imaging and neurosurgical technical platforms. Its management requires serial brain imaging from the acute phase of trauma. We report two patients with head trauma whose state of consciousness deteriorated after they returned home following rhinorrhea recurrence. Emergency computed tomography revealed a delayed post-traumatic tension pneumoventricle. Despite our limited resources, rapid intervention has led to favorable outcomes. Our aim was to show that recurrent rhinorrhea is an important sign to consider in patients with skull base trauma in the context of limited resources.