FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF THE CHRONIC SUBDURAL-HEMATOMA - WITH REFERENCE TO ITS RECURRENCE

The fatty acid composition of aspirated chronic subdural hematoma (CSD H) was measured by gas liquid chromatography and the relationship betw een fatty acid and recurrence of the hematoma was assessed, Thirty pat ients with CSDH were operated on through a single burr-hole; 4 patient s developed recurrent hematoma (13%), The lipid composition of CSDH wa s mainly phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, cholesterol, free fatty a cid, triacylglycerol and cholesterol ester, The fatty acid constituent s were palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, arachidonic and docosahexan oeic acids, Analysis of the polyunsaturated fatty acids demonstrated t hat hematoma taken from patients with recurrent CSDH contained more li noleic acid (n-6) than those with non-recurrent CSDH, Linoleic and ara chidonic acids are known to induce angiogenesis in cultured aortic end othelial cells, Change in fatty acid composition of recurrent hematoma might be associated with rebleeding from the hematoma capsule. (C) Ha rcourt Brace & Co. Ltd 1998.