title: Cognitive performance following spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage versus other forms of intracranial haemorrhage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The exact cause of cognitive deficits following intracranial haemorrhage is unclear. This prospective study examines the abilities after spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and chronic subdural haematoma (SDH) to elucidate the cognitive outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-nine patients with SAH (N = 60), ICH (N = 25), and SDH (N = 14) were followed up for an average of 6 and 12 months post-haemorrhage. Cognitive tests were used to examine attention, memory, concentration, and executive function. Following were used for analysis: 1. the percentage of patients falling below the 25th percentile per test, 2. the general development from the first to second test point and 3. the incidence of significant changes between the test points. Significance was established as p ≤ 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All three types of haemorrhage resulted in deficits as concerns abstract language (53%-75%). The processing speed was below the normal levels in more than 70% of the patients tested. The cognitive performance of SAH patients was similar to that of patients with SDH and ICH patients after 6 months. The number of patients with outcomes falling below the 25th percentile (to some extent more than 75% in patients post-SAH) is high in all patient groups and mostly decreases over the course. Nevertheless, patients with SAH reveal improvements in many more areas than with ICH and SDH (p ≤ 0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cognitive impairments following SAH, ICH and SDH deficits appear to develop in a similar way regardless of the type of haemorrhage. Cognitive improvement is most pronounced in patients with SAH.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Ulm , Steinhövelstrasse 9, 89075 Ulm , Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Alber
authors.forename: Anne-Katharina
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Fladung
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Knauer
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: König
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oechsner
authors.forename: Inga L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Hayrettin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tumani
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Widder
authors.forename: Christian Rainer
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Wirtz
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Woischneck
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kapapa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020200:Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications*