effect of intra-arterial papa verine and/or angioplasty on the cerebral veins in patients with vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage due to ruptured intracranial aneurysms

This study was performed in an attempt to determine if there is a change in intracranial venous diameters following carotid distribution endovascular treatment of vasospasm due to subarachnoid hemorrhage. The venous diameters were measured in all patients who received intra-arterial papaverine and/or balloon angioplasty for treatment of vasospasm from April 1993 to September 1996. The mean measured venous diameters increased significantly following papaverine [10.9%] and following papaverine and angioplasty [4.2%]. There was no statistically significant increase in mean venous diameters following angioplasty alone. Endovascular treatment produces measurable increases in intra-cranial venous diameters. However, these changes do not correlate with changes in ICP