Hydrocephalus after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage epidemiology

Hydrocephalus is a common and serious complication of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), occurring in approximately 20–30% of patients. It results from impaired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation and absorption due to blood products within the subarachnoid space and ventricular system.

Hydrocephalus complicates the clinical course of greater than 20% of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage 1) 2) , and its onset can be acute, within 48 hours after SAH, or rarely chronic, occurring in a delayed fashion weeks and even months after the hemorrhage 3).

1)
Wilson CD, Safavi-Abbasi S, Sun H, Kalani MY, Zhao YD, Levitt MR, et al: Meta-analysis and systematic review of risk factors for shunt dependency after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. J Neurosurg 126:586–595, 2017
2)
Yamada S, Nakase H, Park YS, Nishimura F, Nakagawa I: Discriminant analysis prediction of the need for ventriculo- peritoneal shunt after subarachnoid hemorrhage. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 21:493–497, 2012
3)
Germanwala AV, Huang J, Tamargo RJ. Hydrocephalus after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2010 Apr;21(2):263-70. doi: 10.1016/j.nec.2009.10.013. Review. PubMed PMID: 20380968.