Quantitative estimation of intracerebral and intraventricular hematoma by computer tomography.

A method to quantify the size of intracerebral hematoma by computer tomography was tested experimentally. The size of the lesion could be calculated with an error of +/- 3 to 9 per cent. By correlating the volume of the hematoma to the level consciousness in 62 patients, it was found that the volume which induced coma was rather specific, corresponding to about 6 to 7 per cent of the intracranial volume. This observation may lead to a reassessment of present therapeutic concepts.