CO2 REACTIVITY IN PATIENTS AFTER SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE

CO2 reactivity was tested in patients with transcranial Doppler sonogr aphy (TCD) and endtidal CO2 measurements after an average time interva l of ten months after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). After deliberate ly changing breathing there was a significant change in endtidal CO2 a nd in flow velocities in all three examination groups. Comparing 27 pa tients with SAH and 5 patients treated for incidential aneurysms and 2 0 patients without cerebrovascular disease there were no significant d ifferences in CO2 reactivity. Furthermore, there were no right to left differences. In 12 patients with vasospasm, two of them treated by pe rcutaneous transluminal angioplasty for delayed ischaemic deficits, CO 2 reactivity was normal at the time of investigation. Furthermore, nor mal CO2 reactivity was found in patients after SAH and surgery for rup tured aneurysms regardless of the severity of the SAH.