A review of medical treatments of cerebral vasospasm

Neurol Res. 2008 Jun;30(5):444-9. doi: 10.1179/174313208X284089.

Abstract

We review the literature on the established perioperative therapies for cerebral vasospasm (CV) following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Despite aSAH treatment advances, CV continues to be a significant source of post-SAH morbidity and mortality. In fact, CV has been correlated with a 7.5- to three-fold increase in mortality in the first 2 weeks after SAH. As new treatment modalities show promise in animal models and early clinical trials, greater efforts are needed to test these new approaches. Few evidence-based indications for the treatment of vasospasm currently exist. Large-scale randomized clinical trials are needed to determine whether therapies such as magnesium, statins, nitric oxide modulators, endothelin antagonists and others will become standard of care in the prevention and/or treatment of CV.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium Channel Blockers / therapeutic use
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / complications
  • Vasodilator Agents / therapeutic use
  • Vasospasm, Intracranial / drug therapy*
  • Vasospasm, Intracranial / etiology

Substances

  • Calcium Channel Blockers
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Vasodilator Agents