Objective  To analyze the application effect of continuous lumbar cistern fluid drainage combined with decompressive craniectomy in the treatment of severe craniocerebral injury.

  Methods  A total of 87 patients with severe craniocerebral injury admitted to our hospital between March 2016 and March 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. They were divided into two groups according to the decompression methods applied, with 42 patients who received standard decompressive craniectomy assigned to the control group and 45 patients who received continuous lumbar cistern fluid drainage combined with standard decompressive craniectomy assigned to the observation group. The primary indicators that were monitored and compared between the two group included the amount of time for patient CT imaging to be clear of subarachnoid hemorrhage, the length-of-stay, the duration of post-operative intubation, the mannitol dose, scores for Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), prognosis, the incidence of cerebral edema and cerebral infarction, and complications. The secondary indicators that were monitored and compared included intracranial pressure, cerebrospinal fluid antinucleosome protein SP100, and red blood cell count of the two groups before treatment and after continuous drainage for 7 days.

  Results  The amount of time for CT imaging to be clear of subarachnoid hemorrhage and the length-of-stay of the observation group were shorter than those of the control group, the mannitol dose of the observation group was lower than that of the control group, the incidence of cerebral edema and the incidence of complications of the observation group were lower than those of the control group, and the rate of patients with good prognosis in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the rate of poor prognosis or mortality between the two groups (P>0.05). The duration of postoperative intubation of the observation group was (8.24±1.09) d, while that of the control group was (9.22±1.26) d, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (t=3.887, P<0.05). There were 2 cases (4.44%) of cerebral infarction in the observation group, with the infarct volume being (8.36±1.87) cm³, while there were 9 cases (21.43%) of cerebral infarction in the control group, with the infarct volume being (8.36±1.87) cm³, and there were statistically significant differences in the incidence and volume of cerebral infarction between the two groups (χ²=5.674, t=9.609, P<0.05). After treatment, the intracranial pressure and red blood cell count decreased in both groups and the intracranial pressure, cerebrospinal fluid SP100, and red blood cell count of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). The cerebrospinal fluid SP100 of the observation group decreased after treatment in comparison with the level before treatment (P<0.05), while the pre- and post-treatment levels of the control group did not demonstrate any significant difference.

  Conclusion  Continuous lumbar cistern fluid drainage in patients with severe craniocerebral injury effectively shortens the time required for the body to recover, significantly reduces the level of intracranial pressure, improves the levels of cerebral edema and cerebral infarction, and has a high degree of safety for prognosis and recovery.