Cerebellar hemorrhage: diagnosis and treatment

We have reviewed the records of 22 patients with spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage. One question that we considered was whether the increased recognition of this disorder, since the introduction of computed tomography (CT) scanning, had brought about a change in the associated signs and symptoms, as compared with previous series. No such change was found. Nine patients died, four after operation (ventricular shunting in one, clot evacuation in one, both procedures in two patients). The five other patients were considered inoperable, because they showed signs of compression of the caudal brainstem. It is improbable that any of these five could have been saved by immediate ventricular drainage, advocated by some as the only treatment. Thirteen patients were treated conservatively and recovered, although four had a hematoma larger than 3 cm. All these patients had a Glasgow coma scale score of 11 points or more. The level of consciousness may be a better guide in management than the size of the clot.