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A Volumetric Method for Quantification of Cerebral Vasospasm in a Murine Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Published on: July 28, 2018
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Predicting vasospasm risk using first presentation aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage volume: A semi-automated CT
James S Street1, Anand S Pandit2,3, Ahmed K Toma2
1Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|June 1, 2023
Summary
Quantifying blood volume on initial CT head scans after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) can predict future vasospasm. This semi-automated method offers a more accurate prediction than the modified Fisher scale.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Radiology
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Cerebral vasospasm is a major complication of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), leading to poor neurological outcomes.
- Early detection and prediction of vasospasm are crucial for timely intervention and improved patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a semi-automated pipeline for segmenting subarachnoid blood volume from initial CT head (CTH) scans.
- To assess the predictive value of segmented blood volume for the development and severity of radiological vasospasm.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study of 42 patients with aSAH was conducted.
- Subarachnoid blood volume was segmented using a semi-automated random forest classifier and active contour evolution in ITK-SNAP.
- Clinical data were analyzed to correlate blood volume with vasospasm risk.
Main Results:
- Semi-automated segmentation showed high agreement with manual segmentation (Dice coefficient = 0.92).
- Increased total normalized blood volume on CTH scans was significantly associated with a higher risk of radiological vasospasm (OR = 1.069).
- Blood volume outperformed the modified Fisher scale in predicting vasospasm (AUC = 0.86 vs 0.70).
Conclusions:
- Semi-automated segmentation of blood volume from CTH scans is a viable method for aSAH patients.
- Total subarachnoid blood volume is a robust and independent predictor of radiological vasospasm, its duration, and severity.
- This approach offers superior predictive accuracy compared to the modified Fisher scale.
