ABSTRACT
Bleeding into the subarachnoid space is one of frequent complications in neurosurgical practice and most frequently caused by rupture of meningeal by trauma to the head. Hemorrhage into the subarachnoid space may occur in patient with blood dyscrasias, intracranial tumors, vascular anomalies, certain toxic or infectious disease of the nervous system, and intracerebral hemorrhages. In may be worthy academic interest and clinical practice to estimate the age of blood after hemorrhage into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The age was estimated and assessed by an immunological method with hemoagglutination activity using native Korean phytoagglutinin. The age of the red blood cells in RBC-CSF suspension of normal subjects was assessed and estimated by the hemoagglutination of phytoagglutinin in vitro. Vicia PHA and Clerodendron PHA chosen from among 18 different varieties of PHA are panhemoagglutinin and demonstrated the agglutination reaction most effectively. The agglutination activity of PHA with RBC-CSF suspension decreased gradually as time elapsed and activity subsided on 7~8th day. The age of RBC in CSF can be estimated by titration. The agglutination activity of PHA to RBC in CSF suspension continued for a longer period than that of PHA to either RBC in normal saline or anti-serum A and B in CSF. It would be well to say that the experimental results can be applied to clinical situations, especially subarachnoid hemorrhage.