[Changes in the course after spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage from the neurological point of view]

In order to recognize changes in the course after spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (sSAH) cases hospitalized between 1974 and 1981 were divided in two groups: group 1 contained 53 patients from 1974 to 1976, group 2 84 patients from 1977 to 1981. With respect to age and clinical condition at admission to the hospital (grading according to Hunt and Hess, 20) the two groups were not different and were comparable to the patient population of epidemiologic studies. Due to the high percentage of cases of older age and with poor prognosis mortality in our patients was high when compared to the selected material of neurosurgical and randomized studies, but letality decreased markedly from 47,2% between 1974 and 1976 to 35,7% between 1977 and 1981. Good clinical outcome increased from 41,5% in group 1 to 54,7% in group 2; favourable outcome after surgical treatment (69,5%) had a high impact on this result. This change in the clinical course after sSAH was attributed to more intensive conservative treatment and to improved surgical technique with better defined selection of operable cases and with a tendency to operate early after the bleed. By reducing the number and postponing the occurrence of rebleeding antifibrinolytic therapy with tranexamic acid was of supportive value.