Intraventricular blood without parenchymal clot following spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage

Summary The position of an intracerebral haematoma shown on computerised tomography (CT) of patients who have suffered a recent spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage is a powerful indicator of the source of the bleed. In the absence of such a parenchymal clot, does the distribution of intraventricular blood have similar predictive value? The scans of 22 patients showing intraventricular blood without parenchymal clot were compared with subsequent angiographic appearances. The distribution of intraventricular blood does not appear to correlate with either the clinical status of the patient, or the nature, site or size of the bleeding lesion.