ENDOTHELIN-I LEVELS IN PLASMA AND CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID FOLLOWING SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE

A serial measurement of endothelin-1(ET-1) levels in plasma, cisternal and ventricular cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) was performed in 16 patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). The patients were classified as grade III or IV according to the clinical grade of Hunt and Hess, and computerised tomography(CT) was classified as Fisher's CT group 3. Cis ternal and ventricular CSF and plasma were obtained from the patients on the day of operation days 0-3, days 5-8 and days 14-18 after SAH. E T-1 concentration in each sample was quantified by sandwich-enzyme imm unoassay. ET-1 levels in plasma and CSF were the highest between days 0-3 and then decreased. The ET-1 levels in the cisternal CSF were sign ificantly higher during days 0-3(p<0.01) and days 5-8(p<0.01) than tho se in the ventricular CSF. It is suggested that ET-1 could play an imp ortant role in the early stages of the cerebral vasospasm. (C) Pearson professional 1995