Published Online
on October 16, 2003

A more recent version of this article appeared on November 1, 2003

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Submitted on June 3, 2003
Accepted on July 4, 2003

Effect on Cerebral Vasospasm of Coil Embolization Followed by Microcatheter Intrathecal Urokinase Infusion Into the Cisterna Magna. A Prospective Randomized Study

Jun-ichiro Hamada MD, PhD^*; Yutaka Kai MD, PhD; Motohiro Morioka MD, PhD; Shigetoshi Yano MD, PhD; Takamasa Mizuno MD; Teruyuki Hirano MD; Kiyoshi Kazekawa MD, PhD; and Yukitaka Ushio MD, PhD

From the Departments of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Neuroradiology, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Kumamoto (J.H., Y.K., M.M., S.Y., T.M., T.H., Y.U.), and Department of Neurosurgery, Fukuoka University, Chikushi Hospital, Fukuoka (K.K.), Japan.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jhamada{at}kaiju.medic.kumamoto-u.ac.jp.

Background and Purpose--Vasospasm remains the leading cause of death and permanent neurological disability in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The objective of our prospective randomized trial of coil embolization followed by intrathecal urokinase infusion into the cisterna magna (ITUKI therapy) was to test its effectiveness in preventing or alleviating the severity of ischemic neurological deficits caused by vasospasm.

Methods--We enrolled 110 patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms eligible for coil embolization and randomly assigned them to embolization with (n=57) or without (n=53) ITUKI therapy performed within 24 hours of aneurysmal SAH. The incidence of symptomatic vasospasms and the clinical outcomes, based on the Glasgow Outcome Scale, 6 months after SAH onset were assessed.

Results--There were no side effects or adverse reactions attributable to ITUKI therapy. Symptomatic vasospasm occurred in 5 patients (8.8%) with and 16 (30.2%) without ITUKI therapy; the difference was significant (P=0.012). Although the mortality rate did not differ between the groups, patients with ITUKI therapy had significantly better outcomes than those without (P=0.036).

Conclusions--Our results demonstrate that ITUKI therapy significantly reduced the occurrence of symptomatic vasospasm. Although it did not completely prevent vasospasms, ITUKI therapy resulted in a lower rate of permanent neurological deficits.

Key words: cerebral aneurysm • cisterna magna • embolization, therapeutic • urokinase • vasospasm

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