Intracranial hematomas following aneurysmal rupture: experience with 309 cases

Abstract

Three hundred and nine consecutive cases of intracranial hematomas due to aneurysmal rupture--representing 34% of the total number of patients with aneurysms observed in a 12-year period--were evaluated; of these, 211 were submitted to computed tomography scan. Hematomas were present on admission in 71% of patients and occurred at rebleeding in 29%. Ruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysms caused an intracranial hematoma more frequently than aneurysms in other locations. Ventricular hematomas were frequently observed--especially at rebleeding--in cases with anterior communicating artery aneurysms. Basal ganglia hematomas were detected in eight cases with internal carotid bifurcation aneurysms and in three with middle cerebral artery aneurysms. Subdural hematomas were observed in 32 cases, mainly due to ruptured middle-cerebral-artery and internal-carotid-artery aneurysms. As for clinical evolution, a rapid deterioration was observed in 39% of cases and a chronic course in 46%; a subacute deterioration was far less frequent. Delayed deterioration from vasospasm was observed in 8% of cases, and appeared to be related to the amount of subarachnoid bleeding associated with the hematoma. One hundred and forty-two patients were submitted to surgical treatment (evacuation of hematoma together with exclusion of aneurysm); deep coma, poor medical condition, stabilized neurological disability, or combinations of these factors accounted for the high number of patients not operated upon. Regardless of treatment, 24% of patients showed good results and 58% died. Presence of a large hematoma, ventricular hemorrhage, and shift of the ventricles represented significant risk factors, associated with a poor prognosis. A comparison between two groups of patients admitted within 3 days of hemorrhage--47 operated on early, and 149 with delayed treatment--showed that better results were achieved by early operations, especially for cases in Hunt's grades IV and V.