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A total of 299 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) were classified into three age groups, that is, those aged 59 years or younger (Group 1: 159 patients, 53%), those aged 60 to 69 years (Group 2: 85 patients, 28%), and those aged 70 years or older (Group 3: 55 patients, 18%). A comparison was made of the surgical indications and their overall management outcome in these age groups. The overall outcome at 1 year after SAH of Group 3 was significantly poorer than that of Group 1 (p less than 0.01) or Group 2 (p less than 0.01), but no significant difference could be demonstrated between Groups 1 and 2. Overall, 104 of the 299 patients died, for a mortality rate of 35%. The mortality rate by age group was 29% for Group 1, 33% for Group 2, and 55% for Group 3. Surgery was performed on 122 patients (77%) in Group 1, 56 (66%) in Group 2, and 25 (45%) in Group 3. The overall operative outcome at 1 year after SAH in Group 3 was significantly poorer than that of Group 1 (p less than 0.01), but no significant difference was observed in this regard between Groups 1 and 2. The operative mortality rate of the patients in Groups 1, 2, and 3 who were preoperatively in Hunt and Hess Grades I and II was 1%, 7%, and 22%, respectively (no significant difference). By life-table analysis the 5-year survival probability was 65% for Group 1, 60% for Group 2, and 37% for Group 3. The rate of patients surviving in good condition or in a disabled but independent condition at 1 year after SAH was 93% and no statistically significant difference in survival probability was observed among the three age groups.

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A 26-year-old primipara with a cerebral venous angioma suffered an intracerebral hemorrhage just after delivery. Venous thrombosis was considered a possible cause of the intracerebral hemorrhage on the basis of the neuroradiological findings.

Penetration of etoposide into the cerebrospinal fluid, brain tumor, and brain tissue after intravenous administration was investigated in patients presenting with malignant brain tumors. A relatively low dose (55-65 mg/m2) was used to compare intravenous with oral administration. High-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection was used to evaluate drug levels. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid levels of etoposide after oral administration (50-150 mg/day) were also studied so as to determine the adequate oral dose for the treatment of malignant brain tumors. The peak plasma concentration after intravenous administration ranged from 7.01 to 10.47 micrograms/ml, varying in proportion to the injected dose, whereas that after oral administration was lower, namely, 1.44-4.99 micrograms/ml, and was unstable when the oral dose was 150 mg daily. The peak cerebrospinal fluid level following either intravenous or oral administration was much lower than the plasma concentration and was influenced by the peak plasma level and the sampling site. The etoposide concentration in cerebrospinal fluid taken from the subarachnoid space and ventricle of patients displaying no tumor invasion and of those presenting with meningeal carcinomatosis and in cerebrospinal fluid taken from the dead space after tumor resection was 0.7% +/- 0.5%, 3.4% +/- 1.0%, and 7.2% +/- 8.5%, respectively, of the plasma concentration. Serial oral administration did not result in the accumulation of etoposide in cerebrospinal fluid. The tumor concentration (1.04-4.80 micrograms/g) was 14.0% +/- 2.9% of the plasma level after intravenous administration, was related to the injected dose, and was approximately twice the concentration detected in the brain tissue. Therefore, a relatively low dose of etoposide injected intravenously penetrates the brain tumor at an efficacious concentration. Our results indicate than an oral dose of 100 mg etoposide be given for malignant brain tumors, as limited penetration of the drug into the intracranial region was observed.