Hemoglobin quantitation in subarachnoid hemorrhage.

The amount of hemoglobin in cerebrospinal fluid was quantitated in 15 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and in 35 subjects without subarachnoid hemorrhage (controls). The photometric determination of the hemoglobin content in cerebrospinal fluid indicated that patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage in contrast to controls showed a significant increase (P greater than 0.01) of hemoglobin (Mann-Whitney test). In 5 of the patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage it was possible to determine the amount of hemoglobin in cerebrospinal fluid over a period of time. Possible correlations between clinical course and hemoglobin concentration as well as the use of hemoglobin quantitation in late diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage are discussed.