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Updated: May 29, 2026

A Volumetric Method for Quantification of Cerebral Vasospasm in a Murine Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
08:12

A Volumetric Method for Quantification of Cerebral Vasospasm in a Murine Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Published on: July 28, 2018

Pharmacological treatment of delayed cerebral ischemia and vasospasm in subarachnoid hemorrhage

Diego Castanares-Zapatero1, Philippe Hantson

  • 1Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Cliniques universitaires Saint Luc, Soins intensifs, Avenue Hippocrate, 10, B-1200 Bruxelles, Belgium. Philippe.Hantson@uclouvain.be.

Annals of Intensive Care
|September 13, 2011
PubMed

Subarachnoid hemorrhage after the rupture of a cerebral aneurysm is the cause of 6% to 8% of all cerebrovascular accidents involving 10 of 100,000 people each year. Despite effective treatment of the aneurysm, delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is observed in 30% of patients, with a peak on the tenth day, resulting in significant infirmity and mortality. Cerebral vasospasm occurs in more than half of all patients and is recognized as the main cause of delayed cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Its treatment comprises hemodynamic management and endovascular procedures. To date, the only drug shown to be efficacious on both the incidence of vasospasm and poor outcome is nimodipine. Given its modest effects, new pharmacological treatments are being developed to prevent and treat DCI. We review the different drugs currently being tested.

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