Clinical Implications of a Traumatic Intraventricular Hemorrhage

Abstract

In this study ， a diagnQsis of traulnatic IVH was based on the findings of computeriled tomography （ CT ） performed within 6 hours followillg the head injury ． Excluded from this study were patients whose initial but not follow up CTs showed an IVH ， so as to eliminate a ventricular reflux as an etiology of the hltraventricular blood． Also excluded fronl this study was a patient with an IVII that was due t〔｝ an intraventricular rupture of an intraparenchymal hematoma ， Thus ， a total of 5 patients with a simple traumatic IVH were studied ， 0n admission to hospital it was found that the Glasgow Coma Scale score had varied ， but although all 5 patients were unconsciousness ， 4patients recovered within 48 hours of their injury ， In contrast ， the outcome was 】 ess favorable for 50ther patients wh 〔 〕 had a traumatic IVH associated with a primary brainstem injury and ／ or diffuse brain swelling ， and all these ！ atter patients ultimately died or lapsed illto a persistent vegetative state ． Further， of 7 patients with a traumatic IVII and a focal brain injury ， 6 （ 86％ ）had a favorable outcome ． It thus has been concluded that tbe outconle of a traumatic lVH depends nlore upon the severity of the brain injury rather thall on the presellce or absence 〔 ｝ f intraventricular hemorrhage ． （