Is vascular angiopathy following intracranial aneurysm rupture immunologically mediated?

Immunofluorescence studies showed the presence of IgM and/or C3 in the endothelium of intracranial aneurysms in 5 out of 6 patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). In none of them were the immune deposits found in the gyrus rectus. Cortical tissue of 4 epileptic patients which served as a control give negative results. Serum studies on femoral artery wall used as an antigenic substrate did not reveal circulating antibodies of the IgM or IgG class. Our studies strongly suggest that the IgM and/or C3 immune deposits located in the endothelium of intracranial arteries may play a role in post SAH neurological complications.