Abstract
It is said that cerebral angiospasm following rupture of cerebral aneurysm affects very seriously the prognosis whether or not surgical radical operation is performed. Of patients with ruptured aneurysm who died without undergoing surgical radical operation, we performed light microscopic, histopathological studies in 8 patients in whom the cause of death was cerebral ischemia due to cerebral angiospasm.
The results were outlined as follows:
1. Findings of infarction were observed in the cerebrum in all of the cases and were classified into 3 types; mild changes localized both in the gray and white matters, localized but intensive infarction in the gray matter, extensive infarction observed with stronger changes in the white matter than in the gray matter.
2. Changes in the thalamus, hypothalamus, and basal ganglia were mild.
3. No ischemic changes were observed in the brain stem, except for secondary hemorrhage due to tentorial herniation in the midbrain and upper pons.
4. Changes of the intima and smooth muscle of the media were observed only in 2 cases.
