외상성 지주막하 출혈의 예후와 임상적 의의

Prognosis and Clinical Significance of Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Objectives : Head injury is one of the common causes of death in the industrialized countries, and it is a common cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Recently, traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage(TSAH) has been considered as a major prognostic factor. Some suggested that a certain vasodilating agent may be effective to treat or prevent the secondary brain injury due to vasospasm from TSAH. The role of TSAH is not yet fully solved. The prognosis and clinical significance of the TSAH was evaluated. Methods : A retrospective study was performed. A total of 573 consecutive patients with head injury admitted to our institute from January 1996 to December 1997 were examined with respect to outcome and clinical features. In all patients, computerized tomographic scanning was done within 2 days after the injury. Results : TSAH was found in 68 patients(11.9%). The outcome at discharge of the patients without TSAH was favorable(good recovery and moderate disability) in 84.8%, unfavorable(severe disability and vegetative state) in 8.6%, and the mortality rate 6.7%. However, the outcome was favorable in 51.5%, unfavorable in 20.6%, and the mortality rate 27.9% in patients with TSAH. Although the outcome of the patients with thick TSAH was worse than that of the patients with scanty TSAH, the difference was not statistically significant. The difference of the outcome in patients with TSAH according to the location also lacked statistical significance. TSAH was more common in patients with age of 40 years or more, and patients with low Glasgow coma scores. Patients with TSAH had abnormal pupillary responses, diffuse axonal injuries, intubations and operative interventions more frequently than patients without TSAH. Conclusion : These results strongly suggest that the TSAH per se did not worsen the prognosis. However, it represented the injury to be more severe.