Head motion therapy after subarachnoid hemorrhage: Preliminary results of an in vitro study in a basal cistern model

Abstract

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious threat for patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms or head injury. Especially a cerebral arterial vasospasm after SAH is a complication with a high morbidity and mortality rate. An external supported washout of the blood clot from the basal cistern may reduce this rate considerably. This washout process can be supported by shaking the patient. The effect of different shaking strategies (low and high shaking frequencies, low and high shaking amplitude) was investigated by dye washout method in a model of a basal cistern. In this paper the experimental setup and the washout results for two shaking experiments are presented.