Indications for cisternal irrigation with urokinase in postoperative patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.

The use of cisternal drainage can lead to complications such as shunt-dependent hydrocephalus and meningitis. We assessed the indications for cisternal irrigation with urokinase in postoperative patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). The SAH scores by CT on admission and on the day after surgery were used to evaluate two parameters: the total amount of subarachnoid blood on admission and the clearance rate of subarachnoid blood by surgery. In patients whose parameters values belonged to the range where the total SAH score on admission exceeded 10 points and the surgical clearance rate was less than 50%, the possibility of cerebral infarction was significantly higher in patients without than in those with irrigation (p < 0.05). However, there was no difference between patients with and without irrigation for parameter values outside of the range. Therefore, this range may be useful in providing stricter indications for irrigation therapy with urokinase and thus avoiding the complications of cisternal drainage.