Efficacy of intra-arterial nimodipine in the treatment of cerebral vasospasm complicating subarachnoid haemorrhage

Aim: To examine the efficacy and safety of nimodipine as an alternative to papaverine for the treatment of cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid haemorrhage. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the procedure reports, anaesthetic records, clinical charts and CT and angiographic images of 9 patients who had received intra-arterial nimodipine; 1 of these patients received both nimodipine and papaverine. The difference in arterial luminal diameter before and after treatment was calculated as a percentage change. Results: The average dose of nimodipine administered per vessel was 3.3 mg. The mean increase in arterial diameter was 66.6% in the vasospastic segment. There was no significant change in blood pressure of any of the subjects during endovascular treatment of vasospasm. Conclusion: Intra-arterial nimodipine is effective in improving angiographic vasospasm complicating subarachnoid haemorrhage. Further studies aimed at examining the clinical benefits of nimodipine are warranted, particularly in view of the low risk of adverse side effects of nimopidine when compared with papaverine.