Correlation of cerebral vasospasm with vascular endothelial growth factor after traumatic subarchnoid hemorrhage

Abstract

Objective To investigate dynamic relation of serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with occurrence and severity of cerebral vasospasm (CVS) in patients with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (tSAH).Methods Forty-eight patients with tSAH were involved in the study.All the patients received CT imaging assessment.All patients received TCD dynamic monitoring of flow velocity of middle cerebral artery at days 1,3,5,7,10 and 15 after admission for clinical classification of CVS.The venous blood samples were obtained to determine VEGF levels in the serum by ELISA at days 1,3,5,7,10 and 15 after admission and dynamic relationship between CVS severity and serum VEGF was evaluated.Ten normal volunteers were included as the control group.Results Serum levels of VEGF in patients with secondary CVS were significantly higher than those without CVS and normal volunteers in the control group.Additionally,expression levels of VEGF in the serum kept persistent increase in patients with severe CVS.Conclusion Dynamic variation of serum VEGF levels in patients with tSAH may be an indicator of CVS severity and hence may provide a basis for early diagnosis of CVS. Key words: Traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage; Cerebral vasospasm; Vascular endothelial growth factor