Third Ventricle Involvement Predicts ICH Outcomes

Third Ventricle Involvement Predicts ICH Outcomes
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
By: Eleanor McDermid

Eleanor McDermid, medwire-news.md

The volume of blood in the third ventricle is strong predictor of outcome in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) with severe ventricular involvement, research shows.

"This result may possibly be explained by the initial mass effect of the ventricular hematoma on surrounding brainstem structures, leading to immediate irreversible damage," say Dimitre Staykov (University of Erlangen, Germany) and colleagues.

Intraventricular extension is a recognized predictor of poor outcomes in patients with ICH. But Staykov et al report that only the extent of involvement of the third ventricle predicted outcomes, whereas involvement of the lateral ventricles did not.

The team studied 50 ICH patients with ventricular involvement. The initial average blood volume in the third ventricle, measured with computed tomography-based volumetry, was 3.8 ml, while volumes in the fourth and lateral ventricles were 3.2 and 26.5 ml, respectively.