INTRACEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE IN THE RAT - EFFECTS OF HEMATOMA ASPIRATION

Background and Purpose-Deep intracerebral hemorrhage is associated wit h considerable mortality and morbidity, but the value of surgical ther apy is debatable. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether as piration of the hematoma in a rodent model of intracerebral hemorrhage could improve final neurological outcome. Methods-Intracerebral hemor rhage was induced in 2 groups of rats by injection of bacterial collag enase into the caudate nucleus. In 1 group of rats, streptokinase was used to lyse the hematoma 4 hours after hemorrhage induction, and the clot was then aspirated. Behavioral function was evaluated repeatedly until the rats were killed 7 weeks after collagenase injection. Histol ogy was used to assess neuronal loss, astroglial proliferation, and ov erall brain morphology. In a second experiment, brain water was measur ed at 24 hours. Results-The treated rats performed significantly bette r than controls on a motor-behavior evaluation on days 1, 2, and 28 af ter aspiration. Skilled forelimb testing performed for 3 weeks after t he global behavior evaluations showed a significant deficit of contral ateral forelimb function in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the 2 groups. Neuronal loss in the perihematoma str iatum was significantly greater in untreated compared with treated rat s. In most rats, structural damage extended into the internal capsule and thalamus. Conclusions-Aspiration of the hematoma after collagenase -induced hemorrhage slightly improved acute functional outcome and red uced neuronal loss from the striatum. Further studies are required to delineate the mechanism of the effect.