Visual field findings after a ruptured intracranial aneurysm.
BACKGROUND
Visual field defects (VFDs) negatively affect activities of daily living and rehabilitation following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH). The aim here was to assess VFDs in patients with aSAH and their associations with age, gender, aSAH severity, and clinical outcome.


METHODS
Patients admitted to Helsinki University Central Hospital and treated during 2011 were participants in this prospective study. Findings obtained with the Octopus 900 perimeter (Haag-Streit Inc, Koenic, Switzerland), the Goldmann perimeter (Haag-Streit Inc, Bern, Switzerland), or the confrontation visual field test on admission and 3 days, 14 days, 2 to 4 months, and 6 months postoperatively were assigned to 16 classes. Associations between post-chiasmal VFDs and relevant clinical, radiological, and demographic data were analysed with uni- and multivariate logistic regression.


RESULTS
Of 105 survivors at 6 months, 20 (19 %) had VFDs occurring for aneurysm- or operation-related reasons; homonymous hemianopias or quadrantanopias were the most common finding, occurring in 16 patients (15 %). Posterior ischaemic optic neuropathy presented in two patients (2 %). Ten survivors (10 %) no longer fulfilled visual field requirements for driving licences. Significant associations emerged between VFDs at 6 months and the Hunt and Hess (H&H), World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), and Fisher grades on admission, presence of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), hydrocephalus, or postoperative infarction, and higher modified Rankin Scale scores at 6 months. Multivariate logistic regression showed the H&H grade and presence of ICH to independently predict VFDs.


CONCLUSIONS
Assessing VFDs is advisable, especially among patients with poor-grade aSAH (H&H grade IV or V) and ICH.
Department of Ophthalmology, Division of Neuro-ophthalmology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Haartmaninkatu 4C, 00290, Helsinki, Finland, Elina.Koskela@hus.fi.
Elina
E
Koskela
Kirsi
K
Setälä
Riku
R
Kivisaari
Juha
J
Hernesniemi
Aki
A
Laakso
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006423:Hemianopsia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D018917:Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*