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Updated: May 9, 2026
08:21
Effects of Blast-induced Neurotrauma on Pressurized Rodent Middle Cerebral Arteries
Published on: April 1, 2019
Cerebral vasospasm in traumatic brain injury
Daniel R Kramer1, Jesse L Winer, B A Matthew Pease
1Department of Neurosurgery, University of Southern California, 1200 North State Street, Suite 3300, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
Neurology Research International
|July 18, 2013
Summary
Traumatic vasospasm after brain injury is common but hard to detect. Current treatments are limited, and more research is needed for better diagnosis and management.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurosurgery
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Vasospasm following traumatic brain injury (TBI) significantly impacts patient recovery.
- Reported incidence varies widely (19%-68%) due to inconsistent detection methods.
- Clinical deficits are observed in only a small percentage of patients (3.9%-16.6%).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of vasospasm after TBI.
- To highlight diagnostic challenges and limited treatment options.
- To identify the need for evidence-based guidelines.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on traumatic vasospasm.
- Comparison with vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH).
- Discussion of diagnostic tools like transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD).
Main Results:
- Traumatic vasospasm onset is earlier and duration shorter than in aSAH.
- Vasospasm can occur without subarachnoid hemorrhage.
- Hypertension, hypervolemia, and calcium-channel blockers have limitations in TBI.
- Paucity of high-level evidence hinders guideline development.
Conclusions:
- Effective diagnosis and management of TBI-related vasospasm require further investigation.
- Current treatment strategies need refinement for TBI patients.
- Large prospective studies are essential to establish evidence-based recommendations.
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