Risk Factors Contributing to Symptomatic Vasospasm in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

ABSTRACT

The prediction of possibility which patient will develop vasospasm constitutes a further advance in the management of this complication. So the possible clinical risk factors predicting ischemic complication of subarachnoid hemorrhage were retrospectively investigated in patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysm. A comparative analysis of risk factors contributing to symptomatic vasospasm was carried out between 40 patients with symptomatic vasospasm as DID(Delayed Ischemic Neurologic Deficit) group and 52 patients without symptomatic vasospasm as Non-DID group, those who were selected among 349 cases of ruptured intracranial aneurysm admitted to department of neurosurgery at Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeon Ju for 6 years from August, 1982 to July, 1988. Peripheral WBC count, clinical grade, hematocrit, blood glucose level, EKG findings, age, sex and aneurysm location of admission failed to show a prognostic value as a factor developing delayed ischemic neurologic deficit in the patients. However a statistically significant rise in peripheral WBC count was observed at the beginning of clinical deterioration and also systolic blood pressure at admission were significantly higher in DID than Non-DID group. The results suggest that the increase of peripheral WBC count observed at the time of neurological deterioration of delayed onset and high systolic blood pressure at admission might be a risk factor for developing vasospasm.