[Traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage: a prospective study of 58 cases]

Abstract

Background: We evaluated the prognostic factors in traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (tSAH).

Methods: This study was conducted with 58 patients (44 males, 14 females; mean age 39.2; range 17 to 79 years) with tSAH, between 2001 and 2003. The patients who were admitted to the hospital within in the first 6 hours of head injury were included, whereas patients with gun shot wounds, multiple injured patients and postoperative patients were excluded. Fifty-eight patients with tSAH were prospectively followed. The neurological status of the patients and the outcomes were evaluated using Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS), respectively and computed tomography (CT) examinations were done according to the grading criteria by Hijdra and Fisher.

Results: The etiology of tSAH included traffic accidents (73%), falls (20%) and others (7%). The GCS scores of patients at admission were mild (9%), moderate (39%) and severe (52%). In the CT scans, the amount and distribution of bleeding was grade 1 (small SAH) in 21 patients, grade 2 (moderate SAH) in 17 patients, and grade 3 (extensive SAH) in 20 patients according to Hijdra grading system and according to Fisher's criteria. The thickness of blood layer was grade 1 (no blood) in 6 patients, grade 2 (bleeding layer less than 1 mm) in 21 patients, grade 3 (bleeding layer more than 1 mm) in 15 patients and grade 4 (ventricular bleeding) in 16 patients. Neurological outcomes of patients were favorable (good recovery or moderate disability) in 59%, and unfavorable (severe disability, persistent vegetative state or death) in 41% according to GOS.

Conclusion: We have found in our series that the prognosis was poor in patients with poor admission scores of GCS, cysternal or fissural hemorrhage, tSAH with cerebral contusion or acute subdural hematoma, higher than 13 points according to Hidjra's classification and patients of grade 3 or 4 in Fisher's criteria.