Prophylactic Intra-Arterial Injection of Vasodilator for Asymptomatic Vasospasm Converts the Patient to Symptomatic Vasospasm due to Severe Microcirculatory Imbalance

OBJECT The strategy to treat asymptomatic angiographic vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is controversial. In this study we review our consecutive vasospasm series and discuss an adequate treatment strategy for asymptomatic vasospasm. METHODS From January 2007 to December 2012 we treated 281 aneurysmal SAH cases, with postoperative angiography performed 9 ± 2 days after the onset of SAH. Four asymptomatic cases received intra-arterial (IA) injection of vasodilator due to angiographic vasospasm. All cases improved vasospasm immediately following intervention. But all cases turned symptomatic within 48 hours. We retrospectively analyzed the time-density angiography curve and calculated the time to peak (TTP), mean transit time (MTT), and relative blood flow (rBF). Relative blood flow was calculated as follows. The integration of the value of the time-density curve for the artery was divided by the same value for the internal carotid artery multiplied by the MTT. RESULTS The decrease in TTP and MTT for the etiologic artery was similar to that of the nonetiologic artery. But the improvement in rBF for the etiologic artery and nonetiologic artery was 10% and 17%, respectively. Blood supply to the spastic artery decreased due to iatrogenic steal. CONCLUSION Prophylactic IA injection of vasodilator in cases of asymptomatic vasospasm can produce symptomatic vasospasm.