Does intravenous nimodipine treatment influence cognition in patients subjected to early aneurysm operation?

Following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) many patients complain of and exhibit disturbances of a cognitive nature. The etiology behind this encephalopathy is less well understood. Disturbed CSF-hydrodynamics and/or spasm in the lentriculostriate and thalamoperforating vessels might be responsible for such disturbances. This study comprised 56 patients subjected to early aneurysm operation, of whom 21 received intravenous nimodipine during the critical phase for SAH-induced vasoconstriction. There was no difference in cognitive disturbances measured with a specifically conceived battery of psychometric test instruments 2 years or more after SAH and surgery.