J Neurosurg Sci
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Acute cerebral vasoconstriction and subsequent brain ischemia, often occurring in the early phase of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), are critical problems in the management of patients affected by ruptured intracranial aneurysms. It is known that nitric oxide (NO) decreases during SAH with impairment of cerebrovascular relaxation, and glutamate is mainly involved in the consequent brain ischemic damage. Recently, erythropoietin (EPO) has shown to exert a neuroprotective effect during cerebral ischemia by enhancing the NO system activity. In the present study the effect of systemic administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) has been investigated in a rabbit model of SAH. ⋯ These results suggest that rHuEPO is effective in attenuating acute cerebral vasoconstriction and ischemic brain injury following experimental SAH.