Subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to ruptured intracranial aneurysm: prognostic significance of cranial CT.

Computed tomographic (CT) findings in 50 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage due to proven intracranial aneurysms were analyzed for prognostic significance in relation to the clinical grade and severity of vasospasm that developed preoperatively. Only patients who had CT within 4 days after the documented hemorrhage were included in the study. CT scans were classified according to the extent of subarachnoid bleeding. There was direct correlation between the extent of blood and the clinical grade, and between the extent of blood and the severity of vasospasm that developed. The importance of abnormal contrast enhancement was also investigated and found to be of no significance. Scans soon after subarachnoid hemorrhage can assist in identifying patients at risk for preoperative neurologic deterioration.