BACKGROUND Epidemiological data on subarachnoid haemorrhage incidence and case-fatality rates are scarce in the south-eastern Mediterranean region. We conducted a population-based study in Evros Province, located in north-eastern Greece, to determine subarachnoid haemorrhage incidence over a 5-year period (2001-2005). METHODS Evros Province has a well-defined, largely homogeneous population w...

Medical notes of 123 patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage were examined. No patient deteriorated at the time of lumbar puncture. All but 2 patients with associated intracerebral haematomas had markedly impaired consciousness or focal signs. Two of 30 patients with meningitis were initially diagnosed as subarachnoid haemorrhage, and one died without lumbar puncture. If consciousness is not mar...

OBJECTIVE To measure the sensitivity of modern third generation computed tomography in emergency patients being evaluated for possible subarachnoid haemorrhage, especially when carried out within six hours of headache onset. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING 11 tertiary care emergency departments across Canada, 2000-9. PARTICIPANTS Neurologically intact adults with a new acute head...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate physical activity as a risk factor for subarachnoid haemorrhage. METHODS A population based case-control study in King County, Washington. A standardised, personal interview was used to determine physical activity during the past year and at the onset of the bleed for case patients and a similar reference time for control subjects. Conditional logistic regression and a c...

OBJECTIVE To analyse factors related to subjective non-cognitive and cognitive complaints in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage. SUBJECTS Twenty-seven patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage and 27 age-, sex- and education-matched healthy controls. METHODS A battery of cognitive tests measuring visuo-spatial abilities, verbal abilities, and fine-motor skill, Brief Social Supp...

Between 1926-36 Norman Dott managed 39 patients with suspected intracranial haemorrhage. During this period he established important principles of diagnosis and developed new methods for the medical and surgical treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Dott performed the first intracranial operation to treat an aneurysm and the first angiogram to demonstrate an intracranial aneurysm. T...

BACKGROUND The natural history of untreated aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage carries a dismal prognosis. Case fatalities range between 32% and 67%. Treatment with either surgical clipping or endovascular coiling is highly successful at preventing re-bleeding and yet the diagnosis is still missed. METHODS Based on the national guidelines for analysis of cerebrospinal fluid for bilirubin in ...

OBJECTIVE To audit the outcome in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) after a change in management strategy. METHODS A retrospective analysis of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage over a 20 month period (phase 1) was followed by a prospective analysis of patients presenting during the next 20 months (phase 2) in which a protocol driven management regime of immediate in...

SAH affects 6-9 people per 100,000 of the population per year and constitutes about 6% of first strokes. An apparent decrease from older published figures is attributed to a higher rate of CT scanning, excluding other haemorrhagic causes. Approximately 85% of patients bleed from intracranial arterial aneurysms, 10% from a non-aneurysmal peri-mesencephalic haemorrhage and 5% from other vascular ...