Heads or the Tail?

Back to news list

Source: NEJM

Original: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2508432?af=R&rss=currentIssue...

Published: 2026-02-14T12:30:00Z

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at chronic subdural hematomas, which occur after a head injury or as a result of aging when the brain shrinks and the veins stretch.[1] In up to 20% of patients after surgery, the hematoma returns, requiring repeat craniotomy with the risk of infection, higher morbidity, and mortality.[1] In the study, 197 patients received a nonsurgical procedure called middle meningeal artery embolization, which blocks blood supply to inflamed vascular membranes in the dural membrane.[1] This procedure reduced the number of reoperations threefold compared to standard treatment.[1] Embolization closes a bleeding artery in the brain with glue.[1] The study confirmed the role of the middle meningeal artery in the formation and recurrence of hematomas.[1]