Computerized tomography; a diagnostic help in hypertensive intracerebral haemorrhage

ABSTRACT

Hypertensive intracerebral haemorrhage is a serious condition with mortality over 50% while more than three fourths of the survivors are left with moderate to severe disability. OBJECTIVE: To find out the common anatomical sites of cerebral heamorrhage in hypertensives. SETTING: Nishtar Hospital Multan PERIOD January 1996 to December 1996. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 2420 C.T. Scans of brain were performed. 104[4.3%] of these patients suffered from spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage. Hypertension was the etiology in 77[3%] patients. The size of clot, its location shift and intraventricular extension were critically, analyzed. 77 patients suffered from hypertensive intracerebral haemorrhage. 48[62%] were putaminal, 11[14%] thalamic, 6[8%] in caudate nucleus, 3[5%] in pons, 2[3%] in ventricles, 5[7%] in lobes and 2[3%] in cerebellum. Uncontrolled arterial hypertension is an important cause of spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage. Putamen is the most common site with thalamus, caudate nucleus and pons following in that order. Emergency CT scan should be performed in all such patients