[Cerebral vasospasm. Clinicoangiographic correlation]

The authors analyzed the clinicoangiographic correlation of cerebral vasospasm in a series of 120 cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage due to aneurysmal rupture. They made such correlation in the pre and postoperative course, in the follow-up, and in relation with the pathological findings. All patients were studied with one to three angiographies in the pre and postoperative course. For the clinical grading the authors have used the classification of Botterell modified by Hunt et al, and for the cerebral vasospasm, the classification of Pool and Potts and Saito et al. They found a good correlation between the cerebral vasospasm and the disorders of consciousness or motility, i.e. when both of them are considered separately, and only in patients with neurological injury. In comparing Botterell grade I and grades II-V, in 25% of the grade I patients, cerebral vasospasm was observed without neurologic injury. The incidence of cerebral vasospasm was lower in grades II-V patients and the severity of the clinical picture was in relation with other factors such as hematoma, infarct, hydrocephalus, etc. The authors consider the possibility of a personal variability of the cerebral vasospasm in relation with a different susceptibility to the spasmogenic substances.