• Rune Rasmussen, Trine Stavngaard, Iben R Jessing, Jane Skjøth-Rasmussen, Niels V Olsen, Sisse R Ostrowski, Pär I Johansson, and Marianne Juhler.
• *Department of Neurosurgery, The Neuroscience Centre†Department of Radiology, The Diagnostic Centre‡Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, The Neuroscience Centre§Section for Transfusion Medicine, Capital Region Blood Bank, Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark.
• J Neurosurg Anesthesiol. 2016 Jan 1; 28 (1): 65-70.

Background And PurposeDelayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a serious and frequent complication following subarachnoid hemorrhage. Treatments with convincing effect are lacking and the pathophysiology behind DCI remains poorly understood. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a potent endogenous vasoconstrictor and a role of NPY in the development of DCI has been proposed. This study investigated the relationship between plasma-NPY and cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral vasospasm, DCI, and clinical outcome.MethodsIn 90 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, NPY was measured in peripheral blood days 2 to 11. Any occurrence of DCI was recorded and CBF was quantified day 3 and day 8 using computed tomography (CT) perfusion. CT angiography was performed day 8. Clinical outcome was assessed after 3 months.ResultsNo correlation was found between plasma-NPY and CBF or angiographic vasospasm. The correlation between reduced plasma-NPY and DCI reached borderline statistical significance (P=0.05). Increased levels of NPY measured on days 2 to 4 were correlated to good outcome (P=0.006).ConclusionsOur findings in peripheral blood were not supportive of a causal relationship between NPY secretion and DCI. Although high levels of plasma-NPY were correlated with good clinical outcome, NPY did not show promise as a clinically useful biomarker.

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