Detailed Clinical and MRI Characteristics in Primary Non-traumatic Convexity Subarachnoid Haemorrhage Elderly Patients.

Detailed Clinical and MRI Characteristics in Primary Non-traumatic Convexity Subarachnoid Haemorrhage Elderly Patients.

Transient focal neurological episode (TFNE) is the most frequent presenting symptom of convexity subarachnoid haemorrhage (cSAH) in elderly patients with non-traumatic cSAH with suspected, possible or probable cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). The aim of our study was to analyse in detail clinical and MRI characteristics in these patients.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study analysing baseline, acute clinical symptom (TFNE and headache), and MRI characteristics (acute cSAH and chronic CAA features) of consecutive elderly (≥55 years) patients, recruited and registered in the stroke database, between june 2008 and october 2020 of two centres (Nîmes and Montpellier University Hospital, France), presenting with cSAH with suspected, possible, or probable CAA.

Inclusion Criteria:

• ≥55 years of age,
• acute symptomatic cSAH based on FLAIR and T2*-weighted imaging performed within one month of symptom onset, recent trauma,
• anticoagulation treatment, pathological blood coagulation tests (activated partial thromboplastin time [aPTT] ratio=patient's aPTT/normal control aPTT] >1.2; or partial thromboplastin time [PTT] <75%) or platelet count (<100 x 109/L),

Exclusion Criteria:

• exclusion of underlying non-CAA cSAH causes (e.g. reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, trauma, cerebral venous sinus thrombosus, aneurysm, primary angiitis of the central nervous system, anticoagulation treatment, pathological blood coagulation tests)