Role of angioplasty in the treatment of symptomatic vascular spasm occurring in the post-operative course of intracranial ruptured aneurysms.

Angioplasty of vascular spasm (VS), related to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has been recently introduced to the medical field. The authors report 5 cases treated by this mean in the postoperative period. These patients were all symptomatic from their VS inspite of early surgery and of the preventive treatment by Nimodipine. In all cases, obtained increase in the caliber of the spastic vessels was followed by a rapid clinical improvement coupled with a significant decline of the flow rates as confirmed by transcranial Doppler (TCD). No recurrence of VS has been observed. This technique appears quite effective provided that it is performed as early as the clinical symptoms come out in correlation with important acceleration of flow rates on TCD.