Time course of vasospasm in man.

Measurements were made at eight predetermined positions on 627 sets of angiograms from 293 patients with aneurysms. A ratio between the sum of the vessel diameters in the subarachnoid space to the sum in the base of skull and neck was calculated and plotted against time. Vasospasm has its onset in man about Day 3 after subarachnoid hemorrhage, is maximal at Days 6 to 8, and is gone by Day 12. There is a tendency for patients in poor clinical grades to have more vasospasm. The patients with most vasospasm have a significantly higher mortality than those with the least.