Brain edema formation and neurological impairment after subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats. Laboratory investigation.
OBJECTIVE
Global cerebral edema is an independent risk factor for early death and poor outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In the present study, the time course of brain edema formation, neurological deficits, and neuronal cell loss were investigated in the rat filament SAH model.


METHODS
Brain water content and neurological deficits were determined in rats randomized to sham (1-, 24-, or 48-hour survival), SAH by endovascular perforation (1-, 24-, or 48-hour survival), or no surgery (control). The neuronal cell count (CA1-3) was quantified in a separate set of SAH (6-, 24-, 48-, or 72-hour survival) and shamoperated animals.


RESULTS
Brain water content increased significantly 24 (80.2 +/- 0.4% [SAH] vs 79.2 +/- 0.1% [sham]) and 48 hours (79.8 +/- 0.2% [SAH] vs 79.3 +/- 0.1% [sham]) after SAH. The neuroscore was significantly worse after SAH (33 +/- 15 [24 hours after SAH] vs 0 +/- 0 points [sham]) and correlated with the extent of brain edema formation (r = 0.96, p < 0.001). No hippocampal damage was present up to 72 hours after SAH.


CONCLUSIONS
Brain water content and neurological dysfunction reached a maximum at 24 hours after SAH. This time point, therefore, seems to be optimal to test the effects of therapeutic interventions on brain edema formation. Neuronal cell loss was not present in CA1-3 up to 72 hours of SAH. Therefore, morphological damage needs to be evaluated at later time points.
Institute for Surgical Research, University of Munich Medical Center-Grosshadern, Munich, Germany. thal@uni-mainz.de
Serge C
SC
Thal
Sonja
S
Sporer
Mariusz
M
Klopotowski
Simone E
SE
Thal
Johannes
J
Woitzik
Robert
R
Schmid-Elsaesser
Nikolaus
N
Plesnila
Stefan
S
Zausinger
D000818:Animals; D001259:Ataxia / Q000209:etiology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology