[Intraventricular hemorrhage : relation between the symptomatology and computed tomography (author's transl)]

Abstract

The author gives a description of 60 patients with a ventricular hemorrhage. In most of the cases an intracerebral hematoma or a vascular malformation (aneurysm, angioma) are the causes of the ventricular hemorrhage. Frequently the symptomatology is caracterised by a sudden coma (ictus apoplecticus) or the clinical picture of a subarachnoid hemorrhage without important disturbances of consciousness. With computed tomography a ventricular hemorrhage can be diagnosed very easily. Three formes can be distinguished : haematocephalus totalis, haematocephalus partialis and intraventricular hemorrhage. Most of the patients were treated conservatively. Only 11 patients received surgical treatment. The mortality is very important : 58,3%. Nevertheless this study shows that not all ventricular hemorrhages have a bad prognosis. In one third of the patients the consciousness was normal or only mildly disturbed. These patients had a good recovery. It seems that the ventricular hemorrhage is not the only factor which influences the clinical picture. The origin, the localisation and extent of the primary hemorrhage are essential prognostic factors for morbidity ahd mortality. Above all the direct or indirect lesions of the brain stem seems to be an important factor.