[Spontaneous intracerebral hematomas: occipital lobe hemorrhages]

Spontaneous intracerebral hematomas can be diagnosed immediately and localized exactly by the means of cranial computerized tomography. The occipital lobe is a relatively rare site of hypertensive hematomas which are the most frequent etiologic group. Out of 264 patients with intracerebral hematomas ion cranial computerized tomography we found the occipital lobes affected in 24 cases i.e. 9%. 116 patients with intracerebral hematomas treated in the neurologic clinic demonstrated in 15 cases (13%) occipital localization. In 7 patients bleedings were of hypertensive origin, in 4 cases etiology was unknown, in one case it originated from an arteriovenous angioma and in 3 cases congophilic (amyloid) angiopathy was the basic disease. In smaller occipital hematomas the clinical symptoms are relatively mild, mainly consisting of acute headache and hemianopsia. If the hematoma is limited to the occipital lobe the prognosis is favorable both with or without neurosurgical treatment.