Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is considered an angiogenic and inflammatory disease. Chemokines attract leukocytes, and invading neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages play important roles in wound healing. However, no studies have been reported regarding changes in expression of chemokines in CSDH fluid after trepanation surgery. We randomly divided patients who underwent trepanation surgery into two groups. One was the irrigation group, in which irrigation of CSDH fluids was performed and a drainage tube was placed (n = 10). The other was the non-irrigation group, in which a drainage tube was inserted without irrigation (n = 10). CSDH fluids were collected during the trepanation surgery, immediately after surgery and on day 1 through the drainage tube. The concentrations of interleukin-8 (IL-8), growth-regulated oncogene-α (GRO-α), epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide 78 (ENA-78), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interferon-γ-induced protein-10 (IP-10), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), von Willebrand factor (vWF), eotaxin-3, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in each CSDH fluid sample were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. After irrigation, concentrations of all chemokines decreased. However, concentrations of IL-8, GRO-α, ENA-78, MCP-1, and MPO were significantly increased on day 1 compared with concentrations during surgery with or without irrigation. In contrast, there were no changes in concentrations of IP-10, eotaxin-3, tPA, or vWF after trepanation surgery. Moreover, there were significant relationships among concentrations of IL-8, GRO-α, ENA-78, and MCP-1 during the surgery and on day 1. In CSDH fluids, chemokines that attract neutrophils, such as IL-8, GRO-α, ENA-78, and macrophage-attracting MCP-1, appear first after trepanation surgery, whereas lymphocyte-attracting IP-10 and eosinophil-attracting eotaxin-3 levels do not change within 1 day of surgery. These findings suggest that neutrophils and macrophages may play important roles in the healing process of CSDH at an early stage.
Keywords: ENA-78; GRO-α; MCP-1; chronic subdural hematoma; interleukin-8.