Effect of nimodipine combined with fasudil on vascular endothelial function and inflammatory factors in patients with cerebral vasospasm induced by aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Objective: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is an acute disease with rapid progression and critical condition. The most common complication of aSAH is cerebral vasospasm (CVS). Patients are predisposed to severe cerebral ischemia, brain injury, or even death if effective measures are not taken in time to relieve symptoms. This study mainly determines the effect of nimodipine (NM) combined with fasudil on vascular endothelial function (VEF) and inflammatory factors (IFs) in patients with aSAH induced CVS.

Methods: The clinical data of 77 patients with aSAH induced CVS treated in the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from March 2019 to June 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Based on different drug therapies, patients receiving NM monotherapy were assigned to the control group (n=32), while those treated with NM combined with fasudil were included in the observation group (n=45), both received two consecutive weeks of treatment. The two arms were compared regarding the following items: clinical efficacy, average blood flow velocities (BFVs) of anterior, posterior and middle cerebral arteries, serum IFs, levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), ET-1 and CGRP, cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale, MOCA), activities of daily living (Bathel index), and adverse reactions.

Results: The overall response rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the BFVs of the anterior, posterior and middle cerebral arteries in the observation group decreased significantly compared with the control group (P<0.05). ET-1 and VEGF decreased in both groups, while CGRP increased, with more significant changes in the observation group (P<0.05). Serum IFs reduced in both arms, with more evident reductions in the observation group (P<0.05). The MOCA score and Barthel index increased statistically in both arms and were higher in the observation group compared with the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total incidence of adverse reactions between the observation group and the control group (P>0.05).

Conclusions: NM combined with fasudil in the treatment of aSAH induced CVS can effectively improve the VEF, alleviate IFs, and enhance the cognitive function and quality of life of patients, which is worth popularizing in clinic.