[Clinical study of primary pontine hemorrhage]

Forty-three cases of primary pontine hemorrhage were seen in our hospital from 1979 to 1986. We studied the correlations between clinical signs, CT, ABR findings and their outcomes, and then reported surgical results. The case consisted of 30 males and 13 females between 32 to 73 years with an average age of 54.5. Thirty cases were confirmed to have had hypertension prior to the hemorrhage. In ten other cases hypertension was suspected, although their past histories were not obtained. In the remaining three cases, no hypertension was detected. On admission, comatose state, ocular fixation, absence of light reaction, tetraplegia, decerebrate posture, respiratory disturbance, tachycardia and hyperthermia were the signs of unlikely recovery. On the CT, the hematomas of the group of likely recovery patients were less than 25% of the cross section of the pons and lower midbrain in vertical. Greater size of hematomas were seen exclusively among the groups of death and severe disability cases. Acute stage ABR and CT findings showed discrepancy. We suggest, if ABR, CT findings and clinical symptoms were studied more in depth, it is possible to determine a patient's prognosis more precisely. Three cases were treated by Stereotactic Aspiration, three cases by ventricular drainage and the remaining thirty-seven cases conservatively. There was, however, no significant difference in recovery between surgically treated cases and conservatively treated one. We think that surgical indication is doubtful except for limited cases.