What is the impact of vasospasm on traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage: Two cases of report

It is difficult to predict that vasospasm would occur in traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients. Younger age, a lower score of Glasgow coma scale (GCS≦8) on admission, and greater cisternal blood volume are considered to correlate with post-traumatic vasospasm. We present two cases of traumatic SAH with post-traumatic vasospasm; one was a 74-year-old man and the other was a 72-year-old woman. They were alert without any neurological deficits on admission, although the SAH was focally thick as if caused by an aneurysmal rupture. The thick SAH was still identified on follow-up CT performed in a few days. The patients demonstrated cognitive dysfunction at the 4th and 5th day of admission, respectively, and imaging studies revealed vasospasm at the artery in the thick SAH. After treatments, the vasospasm resolved and both patients recovered from the disorientation completely in three weeks. The authors considered that focally thick traumatic SAH with poor clearance is the most influential factor to post-traumatic vasospasm independent of age or a GCS score. A low GCS score in head trauma patients might be mainly associated with existence of brain contusion, intracerebral hemorrhage, epidural, or subdural hemorrhages, which are frequently associated with traumatic SAH. If the traumatic SAH is focally thick with poor clearance, it might be better to initiate prompt treatments for vasospasm within 3 days after trauma. The delay in treatments for vasospasm contributes to poor outcomes.