Abstract T P231: Does Intraventricular Hemorrhage Lead to a Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus-Like Syndrome?

Abstract

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has the highest short and long-term morbidity and mortality rates of stroke subtypes. While increased intracranial pressure due to the presence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) may relate to early poor outcomes, the mechanism of reduced 3-month outcome with IVH is unclear. We hypothesized that IVH may cause symptoms similar to normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), specifically urinary incontinence and gait disturbance. Methods: We used interviewed cases from the Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Hemorrhagic Stroke Study (7/1/08-12/31/12) that had 3-month follow-ups available. CT images were analyzed for ICH volume and location, and IVH presence and volume. Incontinence and dysmobility were defined by Barthel Index at 3 months. We chose a Barthel Index score of bladder less than 10 and mobility less than 15 to define incontinence and dysmobility, respectively. Multivariate analysis was used to assess independent risk factors for incontinence and dysmobility. ICH and IVH volumes were log transformed because of non-normal distributions. Results: Barthel Index was recorded for 308 ICH subjects, of whom 106 (34.4%) had IVH. Presence of IVH was independently associated with both incontinence (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.4-5.2; p=.003) and dysmobility (OR 2.5; 95% CI 1.4-4.8; p=.003). The Table shows that increasing IVH volume was also independently associated with both incontinence and dysmobility after controlling for ICH location, ICH volume, age, baseline mRS, and admission GCS. Conclusion: Our data show that patients with IVH after ICH are at an increased risk for developing the NPH-like symptoms of incontinence and dysmobility. This may explain the worse long-term outcomes of patients who survive ICH with IVH than those who had ICH alone. Future studies are needed to confirm this finding, and to determine the effect of IVH interventions such as shunt or intraventricular thrombolysis.