Pathology of intracerebral hemorrhage

Abstract

Spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhages are dealt with on the basis of a great number of clinical and neuropathological cases. They amounted to 4.9 per cent of the patients admitted to the hospital and 5.2 per cent of the autopsies. In two thirds hypertension was found about 20 per cent were ruptured aneurysms. In 3 per cent of the respective autopsies no cause was found. The clinical courses are dealt with in greater detail. Eighty per cent of the hypertensive haemorrhages are located in the cerebral hemisphere; among these, 60 to 80 per cent show ventricular perforations. This percentage is still higher in thalamus--brain stem haemorrhages. Two theories on the aetiology are discussed. Traumatic haemorrhages are especially dealt with in connection with late apoplexy. Deformations of the cerebral vessels, too, are described in detail. Among the aneurysms, 82 per cent belong to the circulus willisi. Angiomas were found in 15.2 per cent of the autopsies in case of cerebral haemorrhages, but in 58 per cent of the surgically treated intracerebral haemorrhages. These figures are higher than those given in the relevant literature. Among 1600 cerebral tumours, there were 2.2 per cent massive cerebral haemorrhages. The cases are compiled in a table.