Patients who have survived a subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured intracranial aneurysm are at risk for:

A. Rehemorrhage.

B. Cerebral artery vasospasm.

C. Ischemic stroke.

D. Hydrocephalus.

DISCUSSION: Twenty percent of patients who suffer a subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured intracranial aneurysm experience a second hemorrhage in the ensuing 2 weeks. Following subarachnoid hemorrhage, the patient is at risk for developing vasospasm, an idiopathic narrowing of the intracranial arteries that reside in the subarachnoid space. Vasospasm manifests clinically as cerebral ischemia or stroke. Blood within the subarachnoid space hinders normal flow and absorption of spinal fluid, frequently resulting in mild hydrocephalus. Although this hydrocephalus usually resolves in the days or weeks following the hemorrhage, in some cases it persists, necessitating a ventricular shunt.