Prediction of Outcome in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

After aneurysm rupture, the amount of blood in the subarachnoid cisterns on the initial CT scan predicts the risk for vasospasm. Clinicians have traditionally estimated this risk via a scale described by C.M. Fisher and colleagues in 1980. In initial studies, two newer scales — the Claassen and modified Fisher scales — had improved prognostic yield. The modified Fisher scale incorporates any intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH); the Claassen scale incorporates bilateral IVH. In this retrospective, single-center study, investigators compared the prognostic performance of the three scales in 237 consecutive patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Compared with the traditional Fisher scale, the newer scales had more-linear associations w…