Abstract
BACKGROUND: Traumatic subdural effusion is a common complication of traumatic brain injury, especially after decompressive craniectomy (DC). For neurosurgeons, early diagnosis and timely treatment are particularly important, which can help improve patient prognosis and enhance quality of life. CASE SUMMARY: A 47 year old male underwent DC for traumatic brain herniation. After surgery, he developed stubborn subdural effusion (SDE) on the contralateral side and underwent multiple subdural drilling and drainage surgeries, but only temporarily improved the patient's symptoms. After the final cranioplasty, the contralateral SDE completely disappeared. The patient did not experience any new contralateral neurological dysfunction, and the Glasgow prognostic score was 11 points (E4V1M6). CONCLUSION: For neurosurgeons, accurate assessment of the condition is necessary when treating patients with stubborn SDE after DC surgery, and timely cranioplasty can be performed to avoid multiple surgeries. This is a safe and effective surgical method for treating traumatic subdural effusion.