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Updated: Sep 26, 2026

A Volumetric Method for Quantification of Cerebral Vasospasm in a Murine Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Published on: July 28, 2018
Intravenous magnesium sulfate administration in a patient with refractory vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage
Maria Barile1, Françoise van De Wyngaert, Jean-Jacques Essama Mbia
1Department of Intensive Care, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Hippocrate 10, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
Objective:
Magnesium sulfate is being investigated for the prevention or treatment of vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Patient:
A 45-year-old woman suffered subarachnoid hemorrhage and developed after 8 days symptomatic vasospasm in the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) while she was receiving nimodipine prophylactically.
Methods And Results:
Transcranial Doppler monitoring was performed. Cerebral autoregulation was abolished in the left MCA. Despite this finding the administration of a bolus dose of MgSO(4), followed by a continuous infusion in order to achieve serum magnesium levels in the range of 4-4.5 mg/dl (1.65-1.85 mmol/l), resulted in a marked decrease (12.2%) of the left MCA mean blood flow velocity, without clinically relevant change in systemic blood pressure (3%). This effect was maintained for at least 4 h. It did not prevent the development of ischemic lesions.
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