Impact of Microcirculatory Dysfunction on Persistent Global Cerebral Edema After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: An Age-Stratified Analysis

Background: Microcirculatory dysfunction is one of the most important pathophysiology mechanisms of global cerebral edema (GCE) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Data regarding the impact of microcirculatory dysfunction on persistent GCE following aSAH are currently lacking. The aim of our study was to investigate whether microcirculatory dysfunction is correlated with persistent GCE in patients with aSAH across different age groups.

Methods: The study was conducted in Beijing Tiantan Hospital from October 2020 to July 2023. Patients with aSAH who underwent computed tomographic perfusion (CTP) within 24 h after ictus were enrolled prospectively. The difference value of arteriovenous peak time (DV), which serves as an indicator of microcirculatory impairment, was derived from the time-density curve of CTP. Persistent GCE was defined as selective sulcal volume ≤ 11.3 mL at both admission and 7 ± 1 days after ictus. Age-stratified multivariable analyses were applied to identify the association between microcirculatory dysfunction and persistent GCE.

Results: A total of 390 patients with aSAH were enrolled; the mean age was 56.5 ± 12.1 years old, and 245 (65.1%) patients were female. On multivariable analysis, prolonged DV was significantly associated with increased risk of persistent GCE after aSAH in patients older than 60 years (adjusted odds ratio 1.350, 95% confidence interval 1.025-1.778), whereas this similar independent association was not observed in patients younger than 60 years after adjusting for confounding factors (adjusted odds ratio 1.002, 95% confidence interval 0.817-1.229).

Conclusions: An age-dependent association between microcirculatory dysfunction and increased risk of persistent GCE following aSAH was found, which offers promising insight into future research to investigate tailored treatments across different ages.