Symptoms Of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Research Articles

Characterizing the individual course of health-related quality of life after subarachnoid haemorrhage: Latent growth mixture modelling

BackgroundSurvivors of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) show heterogeneous profiles of health-related quality of life (HrQoL). The aim of this study was to characterize individual differences in the course of HrQoL following SAH using latent growth mixture modelling (LGMM). MethodsA longitudinal study with 113 incident cases of aneurysmal SAH was performed in order to evaluate clinical outcome (Hunt and Hess scale, Barthel-Index, Beck Depression Inventory) and HrQoL data (EQ-5D) at baseline, 6 and 12 months. The heterogeneity in HrQoL courses after SAH was analysed using LGMM. ResultsFour subgroups (classes) of different patterns of HrQoL course after SAH were identified. Two of these classes (1 and 3) comprised patients with considerably reduced initial HrQoL, which was associated with more severe symptoms of SAH. Class 1 showing the worst EQ5D-index values during the entire study period. Class 3 experiencing a considerable improvement in HrQoL values. In comparison to classes 1 and 3, class 2 and 4 were characterized by less severe SAH and better functional outcome. An important difference in the disease course between classes 2 and 4 was a temporary increase in depression scores at the 6-month time point in class 4, which was associated with a considerable reduction in HrQoL.The specific clinical parameters characterizing differences between classes, such as severity of SAH, functional outcome, cognitive impairment and post-stroke depression, were identified and the influence of their potential improvement on HrQoL was estimated. ConclusionBy means of LGMM we could classify the course of HrQoL after SAH in four different patterns, which are relevant for the clinical decisions. Clinical parameters, which can be modified in order to improve the course of HrQoL were identified and could help to develop individual therapeutic strategies for the rehabilitation after SAH.

Detection of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Computed Tomography Using Association Rules Mining.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is one of the serious strokes of cerebrovascular accidents. There is an approx. 15% probability of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage in all acute cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs). Most spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhages are caused by ruptures of intracranial aneurysms, accounting for about 85% of all occurrences. About 15% of acute cerebrovascular disorders are caused by spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage. This illness is mostly caused by brain/spinal arteriovenous malformations, extracranial aneurysms, and hypertension. Computed tomography (CT) scan is the common diagnostic modality to evaluate SAH, but it is very difficult to identify the abnormality. Thus, automatic detection of SAH is required to recognize the early signs and symptoms of SAH and to provide appropriate therapeutic intervention and treatment. In this article, the gray-level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) is used to extract useful features from CT images. Then, the New Association Classification Frequent Pattern (NCFP-growth) algorithm is applied, which is based on association rules. Then, it is compared with FP-growth methods with association rules and FP-growth methods without association rules. The experimental results indicate that the suggested approach outperforms in terms of classification accuracy. The proposed approach equates to a 95.2% accuracy rate compared to the conventional data mining algorithm.

Research on Detection and Diagnosis Technology of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Based on New Association Classification Algorithm

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is one of the most common cerebrovascular emergencies, which can lead to serious consequences. Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage accounts for about 15% of acute cerebrovascular accidents. Among them, spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by rupture of an intracranial aneurysm or vascular malformation is more common, accounting for about 85%. Therefore, it is very important to detect the early symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage through reasonable means and to carry out appropriate clinical intervention and treatment. With the development of imaging technology, computed tomography angiography (CTA) is widely used in clinical practice. However, the accuracy of manual recognition of CT images is not very high, and the efficiency is low. The emergence of data mining technology is gradually solving this problem. In this paper, we introduce and summarize the development of data mining, domestic and foreign research progress, the application status of data mining in the medical field, and the main technologies and methods of data mining. We study the application of association rule extraction technology in data mining in the medical field. The Apriori algorithm for finding frequent item sets in association rule extraction and its series of improved algorithms are studied and finally combined the characteristics of medical CT images, an image mining method of association rules based on the gray-level cooccurrence matrix is proposed. Based on the FP-growth algorithm, the NCFP-growth algorithm based on association rules is proposed and compared with the mining effect of several other algorithms. The proposed algorithm achieves a classification accuracy of above 90%, which is higher than the Apriori algorithm and its improved variations.

Cervical intradural extramedullary cavernous malformation as a rare cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage without spinal dysfunction: illustrative case

BACKGROUNDIntradural extramedullary cavernoma is a very rare lesion of the spinal cord, especially of the cervical spine. Its clinical presentation can vary with symptoms of sensory or motor deficits and even with symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).OBSERVATIONSThe authors present a case of a 45-year-old man with SAH with prolonged neck pain and increasing headache confirmed by lumbar puncture. Head computed tomography revealed only discrete blood deposits in the right frontal and biparietal lobes. The finding of pan-cerebral angiography was negative for the cause of bleeding. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural extramedullary mass lesion at cervical level C5–6. The finding of subsequent cervical angiography was negative. The diagnosis of a cavernous malformation was confirmed histopathologically after surgery. The cavernoma was completely removed, and full recovery of the initial symptoms was achieved.LESSONSSpinal lesions should be considered in the diagnostic work-up for SAH with excluded origin of bleeding in cranial neuroimaging. An intradural extramedullary cavernous malformation is an extremely rare entity in the differential diagnosis of SAH, and surgical resection is the treatment of choice to prevent further bleeding and neurological deficits.

A study on clinical characteristics, computed tomography brain imaging, causes and complications of subarachnoid hemorrhage

Backgroud: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is sudden bleeding into the subarachnoid space. The most common cause of spontaneous SAH is a ruptured aneurysm. Symptoms include sudden, severe headache, usually with loss or impairment of consciousness. It has a lot of dangerous complications especially re-bleeding and vasospasm which are the major causes of death and disability. Objective: To study on clinical characteristics, computed tomography brain imaging, causes and complications of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Subject and method: A cross-sectional prospective study on 202 patients who suffered from subarachnoid hemorrhage admitted to the Stroke Center, 108 Military Central Hospital from June 2018 to January 2020. Result and conclusion: The average age was 60.5 years. The most common age group was among the aged 45-64 years (71.2%). The most common symptoms of SAH was sudden severe headache (98%); neck stiff (86.1%), followed by consciousness disorders (56.9%), systolic blood pressure above 160mmHg (50.5%), focal neurologic deficits (20.3%). The Fisher classification: Grade 1 (4.5%), grade 2 (17.3%), grade 3 (19.3%), grade 4 (58.9%). The ruptured cerebral aneurysm accounted for 89.6% of the causes of SAH. The most common site of aneurysm was in the anterior communicating artery (34.8%), followed by the middle cerebral artery (21.5%) and in the internal carotid artery (16.6%). Posterior cerebral circulation accounted for 12.7%; 4.4% of patients had multiple aneurysms. The most common complications of SAH was cerebral vasospasm (26.2%) and typically occurred between 5 and 7 days after SAH, followed by rebleeding accounted for 7.9%, the most cases occurred within the first 24 hours, acute and subacute hydrocephalus (10.4%), hyponatremia (11.4%) and seizures (5.4%).

Balloon Assisted Endovascular Coiling in Wide Neck Basilar Tip Aneurysm

Basilar tip aneurysms are the commonest aneurysms of the posterior circulation and constitute around 5-8% of all cerebral aneurysms. Ruptured basilar tip aneurysms may present with signs and symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with sudden, extremely severe headache, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, blurred or double vision, sensitivity to light, seizure, drooping eyelid and loss of consciousness. At times, the hemorrhage could be fatal, reaching mortality beyond 20%. Basilar tip aneurysms have complex anatomy and have always been considered difficult to treat. Two well-known options to treat basilar tip aneurysms include the microsurgical approach and the endovascular approach. Endovascular treatment is now a cost-effective, preferred and logical rationale for the management of intracranial aneurysms. This case reports the first ever coiling procedure that was performed at Ziauddin Hospital (North Campus) for a basilar tip aneurysm and the other major challenge faced at our center was that the neck was wide, hence requiring a supporting balloon.

Temporal Muscle as an Indicator of Sarcopenia is Independently Associated with Hunt and Kosnik Grade on Admission and the Modified Rankin Scale Score at 6 Months of Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Treated by Endovascular Coiling

Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and is considered an important factor for clinical outcomes in various diseases. Recent studies have shown that temporal muscle thickness (TMT) and area (TMA) can be novel indicators of sarcopenia. We examined clinical characteristics, including TMT and TMA, of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) treated by endovascular coiling. A retrospective analysis of 298 patients with SAH who were treated with endovascular coiling from 2009 to 2019 was conducted. Their premorbid modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score was 0-2. The association between the factors and Hunt and Kosnik (H-K) grades on admission and that between the clinical variables and mRS scores 6 months after the operation were analyzed. In all 298 patients with SAH, Fisher group 4 and TMA <200 mm2 were independently associated with H-K grade III-V on admission in the multivariate analysis. In 254 patients with H-K grades I-III on admission, age, H-K grade III, presence of ventriculoperitoneal shunt, presence of postoperative complications, and TMA <200 mm2 were independent factors related to poor outcomes in the multivariate analysis. The H-K grade on admission was independently associated with TMA. The mRS score 6 months after aneurysm treatment in patients with H-K grades I-III was also independently associated with TMA. Sarcopenia could be one of a few modifiable factors that prevent severe symptoms of SAH and improve outcomes after coiling by strengthened nutrition and physical activity.

Successful embolization of an upper cervical spinal dural fistula despite anterior spinal artery anastomosis

A female in her 40s presented with classic symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage and limited mobility of the bilateral upper extremities. Imaging demonstrated a minor amount of subarachnoid blood, and a follow-up computed tomography angiogram revealed a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (SDAVF) located at C2–3. The C2–3 radicular artery proximal to the fistula feeder anastomosed with the anterior spinal artery, challenging the safety of embolization. However, surgical treatment of the SDAVF would require a suboccipital craniotomy due to its proximity to the foramen magnum, so possible embolization based on lidocaine provocative test results was decided upon. Neurologic examination of the patient following lidocaine provocative testing suggested that embolization could be performed safely. Glue embolization was successfully performed, and the patient awoke without complications. Subsequent imaging revealed no filling of the medullary vein that previously drained the fistula.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage due to intracranial vertebral artery dissection presenting with atypical cauda equina syndrome features: case report

BackgroundFailing to recognise the signs and symptoms of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) causes diagnostic delay and may result in poorer outcomes. We report a rare case of SAH secondary to a vertebral artery dissection (VAD) that initially presented with cauda equina-like features, followed by symptoms more typical of SAH.Case presentationA 55-year-old man developed severe lower back pain after sudden movement. Over the next 5 days he developed paraesthesiaes in the feet, progressing to the torso gradually, and reported constipation and reduced sensation when passing urine. On day six he developed left facial palsy, and later gradual-onset headache and intermittent confusion.Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed diffuse subarachnoid FLAIR hyperintensity, concerning for blood, including a focus of cortical/subcortical high signal in the left superior parietal lobule, which was confirmed by computed tomography. Digital subtraction angiography demonstrated a left VAD with a fusiform aneurysm.ConclusionWe present a very rare case of intracranial VAD with SAH initially presenting with spinal symptoms. The majority of subsequent clinical features were consistent with a parietal focus of cortical subarachnoid blood, as observed on neuroimaging.

Vessel wall enhancement of intracranial aneurysms: fact or artifact?

For patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and multiple intracranial aneurysms, it is often challenging to identify the ruptured aneurysm. Some investigators have asserted that vessel wall imaging (VWI) can be used to identify the ruptured aneurysm since wall enhancement after contrast agent injection is presumably related to inflammation in unstable and ruptured aneurysms. The aim of this study was to determine whether additional factors contribute to aneurysm wall enhancement by assessing imaging data in a series of patients. Patients with symptoms of SAH who subsequently underwent VWI in the period between January 2017 and September 2018 were eligible for study inclusion. Three-dimensional turbo spin-echo sequences with motion-sensitized driven-equilibrium preparation pulses were acquired using a 3-T MRI scanner to visualize the aneurysm wall. Identification of the ruptured aneurysm was based on aneurysm characteristics and hemorrhage distributions on MRI. Complementary imaging data (CT, DSA, MRI) were used to assess potential underlying enhancement mechanisms. Additionally, aneurysm luminal diameter measurements on MRA were compared with those on contrast-enhanced VWI to assess the intraluminal contribution to aneurysm enhancement. Six patients with 14 aneurysms were included in this series. The mean aneurysm size was 5.8 mm (range 1.1-16.9 mm). A total of 10 aneurysms showed enhancement on VWI; 5 ruptured aneurysms showed enhancement, and 1 unruptured but symptomatic aneurysm showed enhancement on VWI and ruptured 1 day later. Four unruptured aneurysms showed enhancement. In 6 (60%) of the 10 enhanced aneurysms, intraluminal diameters appeared notably smaller (≥ 0.8 mm smaller) on contrast-enhanced VWI compared to their appearance on multiple overlapping thin slab acquisition time of flight (MOTSA-TOF) MRA and/or precontrast VWI, suggesting that enhancement was at least partially in the aneurysm lumen itself. Several factors other than the hypothesized inflammatory response contribute to aneurysm wall enhancement. In 60% of the cases in this study, enhancement was at least partially caused by slow intraaneurysmal flow, leading to pseudo-enhancement of the aneurysm wall. Notwithstanding, there seems to be clinical value in differentiating ruptured from unruptured aneurysms using VWI, but the hypothesis that we image the inflammatory cell infiltration in the aneurysm wall is not yet confirmed.

Seizure in nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage

Seizures are quite common in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The prevalence is from 6 to 24% in all non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhages. They can be early – develop within first two weeks, or late seizures, that can become symptomatic post-stroke epilepsy. Quite often (13-24%) seizure can be the first clinical symptom of SAH, concomitant or isolated from thunderclap headache. Other factors, such as low Hunt-Hess, WFNS, GCS in onset, intracerebral hematoma, obstructive hydrocephalus, symptomatic vasospasm are associated with worse prognosis. But the influence of seizure for patient’s outcome is open to debate and is the least studied issue. Accordingly to this, there are no clear recommendations or guidelines for anticonvulsive therapy for primary and secondary prevention and improvement of the prognosis for a patient with SAH. The aim of this article is to review the literature and research data of recent years in order to find out the place of seizures in subarachnoid hemorrhage.

A Web-based Decision Tool to Estimate Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Risk in Emergency Department Patients.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from a leaking aneurysm is a neurological emergency. SAH patients often present with headache—a common chief complaint among emergency department patients. If unrecognized, 70% of the patients with re-bleeds die and one third are left with neurological deficits. Therefore, it is critical to distinguish the signs and symptoms of SAH from benign causes of headache, perform the appropriate diagnostic tests and treat in a timely manner in order to reduce the disability and mortality associated with this condition. In patients with suspected SAH, traditional diagnostic strategies in the emergency department employ non-contrast computed tomography (CT) of the brain to detect blood in the subarachnoid space followed by lumbar puncture if there is a high clinical probability of aneurysmal bleed without any evidence of blood on CT scan. While the older generation CT scanners were less sensitive to blood detection in the subarachnoid space, recent advances in CT imaging have resulted in sensitivity approaching 100% for detection of blood in the subarachnoid space specifically within six hours of symptom onset. Therefore, the benefit of lumbar puncture is controversial when performed within the first six hours of symptom onset. Despite this, lumbar puncture is still commonly performed in the emergency department, exposing patients to unnecessary procedural risks. The objective of this research study is to develop a web-based risk calculator that estimates the risk of SAH based on time to emergency department presentation after symptom onset, physical findings and imaging characteristics with the goal of reducing unnecessary lumbar punctures in the emergency department. In this technical report, we describe the prototype calculator, the mathematical basis of the model and provide a link to the web-based prototype. In the future, we will refine the prototype, make it user-friendly to physicians, staff and patients and study its benefits in the emergency department.

Complete heart block as the presenting feature in subarachnoid haemorrhage

Cardiac manifestations of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) are well-documented phenomena that can complicate the treatment of this devastating condition. Here, we present a case of SAH presenting as complete heart block...

Presenting Symptoms of Pituitary Apoplexy.

The classical term "pituitary apoplexy" (PA) describes a clinical syndrome usually characterized by abrupt onset of headache accompanied by neurologic and/or endocrinologic deterioration due to sudden expansion of a mass within the sella turcica as a result of hemorrhage or infarction within a pituitary tumor and adjacent pituitary gland. PA is a medical emergency and a difficult diagnosis to establish. Thus this article reviews the presenting symptoms of PA patients to help clinicians recognize or at least suspect this critical condition early on. PA commonly occurs in the setting of a preexisting adenoma, and several patients are unaware of its existence prior to the onset of apoplexy symptoms, which are mainly of a neurologic, ophthalmologic, and endocrinologic nature. Neurologic symptoms include sudden-onset severe headache and other symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage, symptoms from compression of the cavernous sinus contents, nausea/vomiting, impaired consciousness, and symptoms of meningeal irritation. Ophthalmologic symptoms include visual field defects, visual loss, diplopia, and ophthalmoplegia. Endocrinologic disturbances include pituitary adenoma symptoms, cortisol deficiency, panhypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus, and syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone. Magnetic resonance imaging is the imaging method of choice to aid the PA diagnosis. Its differential diagnoses include cerebrovascular accidents, infectious diseases, and other causes of endocrinologic imbalance. Transsphenoidal surgery is the treatment of choice, especially if there are associated visual abnormalities and ophthalmoplegia. Clinicians should be aware of the presenting symptoms because early diagnosis may reduce the morbidity and mortality of this neurosurgical emergency.

Acute Kidney Injury After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in critically ill patients and may contribute to poor outcome. Few data are available on the incidence and impact of AKI in patients suffering from nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We reviewed all patients admitted to our Department of Intensive Care with SAH over a 3-year period. Exclusion criteria were time from SAH symptoms to intensive care unit (ICU) admission >96 hours and ICU stay <48 hours. AKI was defined as sustained oligoanuria (urine output <0.5 mL/kg/h for 24 h) or an increase in plasma creatinine (≥0.3 mg/dL or a 1.5-fold increase from baseline level within 48 h). Neurological status was assessed at day 28 using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) (from 1=death to 5=good recovery; favorable outcome=GOS 4 to 5). Of 243 patients admitted for SAH during the study period, 202 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria (median age 56 y, 78 male). Twenty-five patients (12%) developed AKI, a median of 8 (4 to 10) days after admission. Independent predictors of AKI were development of clinical vasospasm, and treatment with vancomycin. AKI was more frequent in ICU nonsurvivors than in survivors (11/50 vs. 14/152, P=0.03), and in patients with an unfavorable neurological outcome than in other patients (17/93 vs. 8/109, P=0.03). Nevertheless, in multivariable regression analysis, AKI was not an independent predictor of outcome. AKI occurred in >10% of patients after SAH. These patients had more severe neurological impairment and needed more aggressive ICU therapy; AKI did not significantly influence outcome.

Endovascular Approach of a Proximal Anterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysm: Case Report

Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) aneurysms are extremely rare, accounting for only 0.75% of all intracranial aneurysms. The average age of patients suffering from those aneurysms found in the literature was 44 years, with no significant difference between the sexes. These aneurysms can manifest clinically through expansive symptoms in cerebellopontine angle or through signs and symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage, such as nausea, vomiting, headache, nystagmus and paresis. The gold standard exam for diagnosis is cerebral angiography. The treatment of these lesions is controversial. The main difficulty of the surgical treatment of these aneurysms is the location of the AICA, which lies close to critical neurovascular structures. In this article, we describe a proximal AICA aneurysm embolization without occlusion of the parent artery, with excellent results in the postoperative period.

Feasibility and validity of monitoring subarachnoid hemorrhage by a noninvasive MRI imaging perfusion technique: Pulsed Arterial Spin Labeling (PASL)

To evaluate the validity of pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) imaging with cerebral blood flow (CBF) quantification for monitoring subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH); to describe changes in the perfusion signal in the absence of or following several classic complications. Fifteen patients and 14 healthy volunteers were assigned to SAH and control populations, respectively. ASL imaging was performed three times: between Day 0 (D0, i.e., day of onset of SAH symptoms) and D3, between D7 and D9 and between D12 and D14. ASL points were classified as complicated (symptomatic vasospasm, intraparenchymal hematoma or severe intracranial hypertension) or uncomplicated. Perfusion and CBF maps were generated after automated processing. The inversion time (TI) was fixed at 1800 ms. CBF mean value of Day0-3 uncomplicated SAH patients (47 ± 11.7 mL/min/100g) was significantly higher than that of the volunteers (36.5 ± 7.6 mL/min/100g; P=0.014). In a case-by-case analysis, we observed a global or regional hypoperfusion pattern when SAH was complicated by vasospasm or severe intracranial hypertension, particularly at the junctional areas. Furthermore, we have faced major vascular artefacts, visible as serpiginous high signals and related to the retention of labeled protons in arteries concerning by angiographic vasospasm. PASL is an interesting perfusion technique to non-invasively highlight perfusion changes in complicated SAH and can provide a new element in the decision to perform urgent endovascular treatment. However, the increase in arterial transit time makes the Buxton quantification model inapplicable and leads to false high CBF values in the single-TI PASL technique.

Abstract W P87: Characteristics of T-cells Infiltrating Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysm

Introduction: Recently the role of adaptive immunity has been implied by microarray studies. But the results are contradictory. T-cell infiltration is a frequent histological finding in ruptured IA, T-cell phenotype, characteristic and true quantitation remains unknown. We preformed a prospective study to determine the subpopulation and expression of activation markers of T-cells infiltrating ruptured IA in relation to peripheral blood. Hypothesis: IA have different subsets and activation levels of T-cells than peripheral blood. Methods: We collected the tissue of ruptured IA of 8 patients operated on within 24 hours after subarachnoid hemorrhage symptoms onset. IA tissue was digested, stained with fluorescently labeled monoclonal antibodies and submitted to flow cytometry. In addition we collected and analyzed venous blood from 6 age, sex and risk factor-matched controls. Results: CD4+ cells are less prevalent in IA tissue than in peripheral blood (42.14±17.28 vs. 65.88±5.32%; p=0.011), while there was no difference in CD8+ T-cells infiltrating IA (30.28±9.07 vs. 27.78±5.45%; p=0.585), and double negative (CD4-CD8-CD3+) T-cells were more prevalent in wall of IA than in circulation, (15.68±11.94 vs. 2.81±1.32%; p=0.026). Importantly, CD4+ infiltrating IA wall showed higher expression of HLA-DR (25.9±6.42 vs. 9.19± 3.58%; p&lt;0.001) higher expression of CD 69 (26.8±19.66 vs. 2.73±0.93%; p=0.014). Similarly, there significantly more CD8+ cells showed HLA-DR+ in the IA than in blood. (45.96±15.57 vs. 22.47±11.46%; p=0.018) and CD69 (30.32±22.73 vs. 5.03±1.55%; p=0.022). Double negative cells in IA also had higher expression of HLA-DR (46.56±21.40 vs. 22.58±5.1%; p=0.025), CD69 (31.05±16.79 vs. 7.83±2.05%; p=0.016). Conclusion: The tissue of ruptured IA is highly infiltrated by T-cells which show high expression of activation markers such as CD69 or HLA-DR. The importance of these cells to immunopathogenesis of intracranial aneurysm rupture should be further characterized.

Changes in the Coagulation and Fibrinolytic System of Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamic changes in the coagulation and fibrinolytic system with subarachnoid hemorrhage. The blood coagulation enzyme-AT complex (TAT), anticoagulant enzyme (AT), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activin inhibitor (PAI-1), and mean blood flow velocity were measured. The TAT level was significantly higher 6 h after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), whereas AT was significantly lower. These changes were maintained at 12 h to 1 d after SAH, returned to normal at 3 d, significantly changed again at 7 d to 14 d. The tPA level gradually increased after SAH and peaked at 14 d, and then returned to normal at 21 d. The PAI-1 levels were significantly lower than those in the control group 1 d after SAH gradually increased, and returned to normal at 21 d. In the cerebral vasospasm (CVS) groups, the levels of TAT, and AT significantly changed compared to the non-CVS groups after SAH. The PAI-1 levels were higher at 7 d and 14 d, but the changes were not significant. In groups Fisher III and IV as well as Hunt III to V, the TAT, AT, tPA, and PAI-1 levels were significantly higher than those in both Fisher and Hunt I and II 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 7 d, and 14 d after SAH. The changes in the coagulation and fibrinolytic system of patients with SAH are correlated with the progress and symptoms of SAH as well as the blood content and CVS.

Evaluation of Headache for Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in the Emergency Department

Headache is a major presenting symptom of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) along with nausea/vomiting, photophobia, meningeal signs and even loss of consciousness and seizures. In this paper we discuss the standard evaluation of SAH, including how to distinguish true SAH from traumatic lumbar puncture (LP). Also, we discuss how to interpret computed tomography (CT) of the brain and LP results in relation to the onset of symptoms.