Clinical Implications of Subarachnoid Clots Detected by Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in the Acute Stage of Aneurysm Rupture

Abstract

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of 72 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in the acute stage were investigated to determine the clinical implications of subarachnoid clots detected by diffusion-weighted MR imaging on admission. Correlations between SAH detected by diffusion-weighted MR imaging and clinical factors were analyzed retrospectively. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging detected SAH in 34 of the 72 patients on admission. Thirty-three of 46 patients classified as Fisher group 3 had SAH detected by diffusion-weighted MR imaging. SAH detected by diffusion-weighted MR imaging on admission was significantly associated with both SAH imaging score and chronic hydrocephalus. SAH was detected by diffusion-weighted MR imaging on admission in patients who had dense clots. Detection of SAH by diffusion-weighted MR imaging was correlated with pathological conditions associated with the volume of subarachnoid clot, such as chronic hydrocephalus.