[Neuropathological study of adult intracranial hemorrhage. General data in 500 cases].

The systematic pathological study of 500 patients with intracranial hemorrhages (ICH) [341 (68 P. 100) CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGES (C.H.); 119 (24 p. 100) meningeal hemorrhages (M.H.); 39 (7,8 p. 100) subdural hematomas (S.H.) and, at last, one extradural hematoma] has been practiced. Those cases were issued primarily from neurological and, at a lesser degree, from neurosurgical departments. Etiological data, complications, associated findings and causes of death have been analysed. High blood pressure is the main etiological factor in C.H. This is confirmed by the statistical comparison between the incidence of this factor in our material and in the whole French population. However, nearly 50 p. 100 of ICH occuring in normotensive patients are C.H. The incidence of cirrhosis is much higher in our study than in other reports from the literature. The frequently associated high blood pressure does not seem to enhance the incidence of CH in patients with liver cirrhosis. Although this last factor can be found alone, its real etiological importance in CH cannot be assessed on account of the lack of data concerning the incidence of liver cirrhosis in the French population. The incidence of anticoagulant therapy is high in S.H. On the contrary, this factor does not seem to enhance the risk of high blood pressure induced C.H. The traumatic etiology of S.H. is significantly higher than the anticoagulant therapy etiology which, however, is very high in our study.