An investigation with serial angiography into the evolution of cerebral arterial spasm following aneurysm surgery

Abstract

Serial postoperative angiograms were performed in 28 patients with intracranial aneurysms, 26 of whom had presented with a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The clinical state and intracranial pressure (ICP) were also measured. Angiograms were performed using a cannula, which was passed into the proximal external carotid artery via the superficial temporal artery. Measurements of the vessel diameters were made, with the preoperative angiogram as a baseline. Patients could be placed into 1 of 5 groups, depending on the presence or absence of significant arterial spasm, the clinical state of the patient and the normality of the ICP. No patient''s condition deteriorated without an elevated ICP and/or significant arterial spasm. This spasm is usually associated with a poor clinical state if it reaches a maximum 8-12 h after operation, although clinical deterioration is not apparent for a further 6-12 h. Knowledge of the natural history of postoperative arterial spasm may allow earlier treatment of the spasm, which may be more successful than delaying treatment until clinical deterioration has occurred. The worth of the varied drugs proposed for the treatment of spasm may be assessed using this type of protocol.