Management of intracranial haemorrhage, unruptured aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations during and after pregnancy

Abstract

Purpose of review: The absolute risk of pregnancy-associated intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) has been reported to be relatively low and often associated with high risks of life-long disabilities and mortality. The aim of this narrative review was obtaining a better understanding of the current management practices for ICH, unruptured aneurysms and/or arteriovenous malformations during pregnancy, as well as the effects of future pregnancies, and the uses of oral contraceptive or HRT.

Recent finding: General guidelines for the management of ICH are used for pregnant women but additional expedient and thorough evaluation of foetal viability and its gestational age are requested. Recent epidemiological data suggest that menopause can be an independent risk factor for the development of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Furthermore, several population-based studies performed on women with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage observed a lower risk of bleeding with HRT.

Summary: The current review observed that the management practices for ICH during pregnancy were seen to be somewhat uniform. Whereas, the practices regarding future pregnancies and the prescriptions of either oral contraceptives or HRT do not follow coherent patterns. In light of this, we recommend the establishment of an international registry that would collect data on women with ICH during pregnancy.