Abstract
We reviewed 220 patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) to study on the time of completion of hemorrhage after the onset and performed the statistical analysis as follows. The incidence of hypertensive ICH was approximately 42/100, 000/year and was higher in spring (March, April and May) and later fall (October and November). There was a male preponderance which was especially evident in pontine and putaminal hemorrhages. Twenty-two patients had accompanying cerebral infarctions with ICH and 12 patients had multiple or recurrent ICH's. This indicates that there is a higher risk of recurrent apoplexy in the patients who have a past history of cerebral infarction or hypertensive ICH than in others. In 74 patients who had serial CT scans to investigate whether the ICH enlarged or not, 63 were found unchanged in size, 7 slightly enlarged and only 4 markedly enlarged. Nine of the latter 11 patients with enlargement of ICH were cases who had CT examinations within 1 hour after the onset and the other two patients had CT scans within 2 hours after the onset. These results suggest that the completion of hypertensive ICH may take place within 2 hours after the onset, probably within 1 hour in most patients. Intensive lowering of blood pressure should be done in the very early period after the onset as a first step of the treatment of hypertensive ICH.
