Abstract:Objective To compare the clinical effects of small bone window craniotomy and endoscopic evacuation in treating ultra-early putaminal hemorrhage.Methods From April 2020 to April 2024, a total of 61 patients with ultra-early putaminal hemorrhage were enrolled from the Second People's Hospital of Foshan and the First People's Hospital of Foshan. Among them, 29 patients underwent craniotomy through a small bone window (small bone window group), while 32 patients were treated by endoscopic evacuation (endoscopic group). The two groups were compared in terms of operative duration, intraoperative blood loss, length of ICU stay, clinical symptom outcomes, Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores, inflammatory factors, neurological function indicators, incidence of postoperative complications, and neurological function 6 months after surgery as assessed by the Modified Rankin Scale (MRS).Results The operative duration and length of ICU stay were shorter (P < 0.05), intraoperative blood loss was less (P < 0.05), and the MRS score was lower (P < 0.05) in the endoscopic group compared with the small bone window group. The duration of cerebral edema, time to improvement in limb mobility, and time to consciousness improvement were shorter (P < 0.05), and the hematoma clearance rate was higher (P < 0.05) in the endoscopic group than in the small bone window group. The GOS scores at 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks after surgery in the two groups of patients were compared via repeated measures ANOVA, which showed that they were different among the time points (P < 0.05) and between the groups (P < 0.05). The GOS scores in the endoscopic group were higher, indicating relatively better recovery outcomes. The change trends of the GOS scores were different between the two groups of patients (P < 0.05). The differences of the levels of C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α and neuron-specific enolase before and after surgery in the endoscopic group were greater than those in the small bone window group (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the overall incidence of complications between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusions In the management of ultra-early putaminal hemorrhage, the endoscopic evacuation offers advantages over small bone window craniotomy including shorter operative duration, reduced intraoperative bleeding, and improved hematoma clearance rates.