Prophylactic triple-H therapy (the combination of induced hypertension, hypervolemia, and hemodilution) has been suggested to prevent cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) that would cause increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) to the brain, and widely accepted in a number of institutions. It must be noted that triple-H therapy is not completely safe, sometimes carries significant...

Background and Purpose—We have recently reported the safety of intraventricular sodium nitroprusside for the treatment of cerebral ischemia from vasospasm. Treatments have been accompanied previously by cerebral angiography to gauge treatment effect on established vasospasm. We presently report the safe coadministration of intraventricular sodium nitroprusside and thiosulfate in 10 patients wit...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Thrombin is activated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, the relationship between thrombin and cerebral vasospasm has not yet been fully established. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of thrombin as a causative factor for cerebral vasospasm and to delineate the signal transduction mechanism that results ...

The anaesthetist may be involved at various stages in the management of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Thus, familiarity with epidemiological, pathophysiological, diagnostic, and therapeutic issues is as important as detailed knowledge of the optimal intraoperative anaesthetic management. As the prognosis of SAH remains poor, prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are essential, because ea...

Severe traumatic brain injury is associated with both acute and delayed neuro- logical injury. Cerebral vasospasm is commonly associated with delayed neurological decline in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients. However, the role played by vasospasm in traumatic brain injury is less clear. Vasospasm occurs earlier, for a shorter duration, and often without significant neurological conseq...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Endothelin 1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor that may play a role in cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, data regarding its pathogenic role in the development of vasospasm are controversial. We planned a prospective, observational clinical study to investigate the temporal relationship between increased ET-1 production and cerebral vaso...

Cerebral vasospasm has traditionally been regarded as an important cause of delayed cerebral ischaemia (DCI) which occurs after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage, and often leads to cerebral infarction and poor neurological outcome. However, data from recent studies argue against a pure focus on vasospasm as the cause of delayed ischaemic complications. Findings that marked reduction in the i...

Doppler analysis of flow in intracranial arteries is now possible using a 2 MHz probe allowing sufficient penetration of bone to obtain signals noninvasively. Thirty-two normal subjects, and 11 patients with cerebrovascular diseases including vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage, middle cerebral artery stenosis, and extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis were studied by transcrani...

Intracranial aneurysm surgery performed between 4 and 12 days after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has been associated with an increased risk of delayed cerebral ischemia and poor outcome compared to surgery performed before or after this time. To investigate whether this increased risk is due to aggravation of vasospasm, the angiograms obtained before and after surgery in 56 patients operated o...

BACKGROUND Vasospasm-related delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) significantly impacts on outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Erythropoietin (EPO) may reduce the severity of cerebral vasospasm and improve outcome, however, underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this study, the authors aimed to investigate the effect of EPO on cerebral metabolism and brain tissue o...