Abstract
Clinical studies were made on 79 cases with thalamic hemorrhage diagnosed by computed tomographic scan and only localized on the thalamic area, were admitted to the Kyung San University Taegu Oriental Medical Hospital from August 1990 to March 1994. The age and sex distribution, sites of hematoma, recurrence rate, incidence of hypertension, inducing factor, prodromal syndroms, symptoms and neurologic signs on admission, relationship between the hospital course and many factors affecting the prognosis such as age, side of hematoma, level of consciousness, volume of the hematoma. ventricular hemorrhage were analysed. The results were summarized as follows; 1. The most prevalent age group was above 60 years of age with 50-59 years, 70-79 years, 40-49 years and 80-89 years of age in the order of frequency. Male to female ratio was 1:1.55. 2. The ratio of left hematoma to the right was 1.32:1. The recurrence rate of cerebrovascular accident was 17.7% 3. The incidence of hypertension was 69.6% and inducing factors of thalamic hemorrhage in the order of frequency were physical work(29.1%), drinking or eating(13.9%), walking(12.7%) and rest(12.7%), The prodromal syndroms were numbness of extremities(5.1%), headache(2.5%), fatigue(2.5%), dizziness(1.3%), insomnia(1.3%), but prodromal syndrom was not found in 89.9% of thalamic hemorrhage. 4. The symptoms and neurologic signs on admission in the order of frequency were motor disturbance(98.7%), dysarthria(82.3%), positive Babinski sign(78.5%), headache(69.6%), dizziness(62.0%). hemisensory deficit(48.1%). nausea or vomiting(39.2%), absent or sluggish light reflex(35.4%), changes of consciousness (35.4%), dysphagia (20.3%), voiding difficulty.(13.9%), facial palsy(6.3%), aphasia(3.8%), seizure(38%), 6th N. palsy(3.8%) and small pupil(1.3%). 5. The rate of improvement was found almost equally in the 4th, 5th and 6th decades, but it was shown with dramatic decrease in the over 7th decades. The hospital course had no relationship with the side of hematoma but the level of consciousness had influence upon the prognosis. 6, The small hematoma had better outcome than large in the volume of hematoma under 15cc, but volume of the hematoma had no influence upon the prognosis because the rate of improvement was 75.0% in the volume of hematoma over 15cc. The hospital course had no relationship with ventricular hemorrhage.