Chronic Subdural Hematoma in a Middle-Aged Amateur Scuba Diver: A Case Report

TL;DR

A middle-aged scuba diver developed chronic subdural hematoma, possibly linked to diving, after a minor head injury.

Contribution

This is the first reported case of chronic subdural hematoma possibly caused by scuba diving.

Findings

A 49-year-old man with a history of minor head trauma and scuba diving developed chronic subdural hematoma.

Surgery resolved the symptoms, and no recurrence was observed 28 months later.

The case suggests a possible link between scuba diving and chronic subdural hematoma.

Abstract

Scuba diving has become a common and popular activity, and adverse events can occur following this activity. Among those events, intracranial hemorrhage is very rare, and only intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage are reported. However, the occurrence of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH), possibly as an adverse event following scuba diving, has not been described. A 49-year-old man with no significant medical history visited our hospital complaining of memory disturbance and aphasia. He had experienced a minor head trauma five months before and had gone scuba diving six times between the traumatic episode and the visit to our hospital. A brain computed tomography scan revealed a left CSDH. The patient underwent burr-hole surgery to remove the CSDH, and his symptoms resolved. We report the first case of CSDH possibly related to scuba diving. No recurrence of CSDH was observed at 28 months postoperatively.

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