Is brainstem hemorrhage prone to recurrence?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on February 13, 2025
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Brainstem hemorrhage is perilous, and its recurrence largely depends on the cause and the management of risk factors. For instance, one significant cause of brainstem hemorrhage is the presence of certain arterial-venous malformations and sponge-like angiomas. Such conditions tend to recur if not surgically addressed promptly by removing these abnormal vessels, thereby reducing the likelihood of recurrence. Additionally, hypertension is the most common cause of brainstem hemorrhage. Long-term high blood pressure can damage arterial walls and lead to ruptures and bleeding. Stable control of blood pressure, alongside a low-salt, low-fat diet, can prevent recurrence of brainstem hemorrhage. However, poorly controlled blood pressure, resulting in severe fluctuations, can significantly increase the risk of recurrence.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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How long is the period of brainstem hemorrhagic edema?

Brainstem hemorrhage, like hemorrhages in other parts of the brain, also has a period of cerebral edema. Cerebral edema is primarily caused by direct injury to brain tissue following hemorrhage, local ischemic and hypoxic changes, local metabolic products, and some damage to the vascular endothelium. Generally, the edema becomes apparent three days after the hemorrhage, peaks between three to seven days, begins to subside after ten days, and completely resolves around fourteen to fifteen days. However, there are exceptions, such as cases where edema occurs shortly after injury or within a few hours, and the peak period of edema lasts for several weeks, or even up to a month without complete resolution.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
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How long does it take for the fever to subside after a brainstem hemorrhage?

For patients with brainstem hemorrhage, it is common to develop high fever after the bleeding, where the body temperature often exceeds 38.5℃. There are many reasons for the occurrence of high fever. It can be considered that the presence of an intracerebral hematoma compresses the hypothalamic temperature set point, causing abnormalities in the set point function and leading to central fever, with temperatures often reaching 39℃ or even higher than 40℃. At this time, the use of antipyretic drugs alone generally has poor therapeutic effect. It often requires the effective absorption of the intracerebral hematoma for the body temperature to gradually return to normal. Another situation, considering the occurrence of pulmonary infection, it is necessary to promptly provide patients with antibiotics for effective treatment. When the pulmonary infection is effectively controlled, the body temperature will also gradually decrease.

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Written by Li Qiang
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Why does gastric bleeding also occur when there is bleeding in the brainstem?

This brainstem hemorrhage, as well as other severe cranial traumas or cerebral hemorrhages, if they cause a severe intracranial hypertension, will lead to a condition called stress ulcer, commonly known as Cushing's ulcer. This occurs because the increased intracranial pressure causes ischemia and hypoxia in the gastric mucosa, which then leads to localized, extensive necrosis of the gastric mucosa, resulting in upper gastrointestinal bleeding. This includes brainstem hemorrhages and many other cranial injuries and cerebral hemorrhages with intracranial hypertension as a very common complication. Therefore, it is due to the local ischemia of the gastric mucosa caused by increased intracranial pressure, leading to bleeding caused by gastric acid corrosion.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
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What should the blood pressure control be for brainstem hemorrhage?

For patients with brainstem hemorrhage, it is important to maintain stable blood pressure after the bleeding. The ideal blood pressure should be controlled between 130/80 and 140/90. This is because the blood pressure should not be controlled too low. If the blood pressure is too low, it can lead to insufficient perfusion pressure in the brain tissue or brainstem, thus exacerbating the state of brain tissue ischemia and hypoxia, which may aggravate the local brainstem ischemia and cause new brainstem infarcts. Additionally, blood pressure should not be too high, as excessively high blood pressure can lead to primary brainstem hemorrhage, coagulation dysfunction, and situations where bleeding is difficult to stop. Moreover, it can cause rebleeding of the brainstem, also known as secondary hemorrhage, which, once it occurs, can be life-threatening for the patient.

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Precursor warnings of brainstem hemorrhage

The warning signs of brainstem hemorrhage must be analyzed according to the situation. Clinically, many people have induced brainstem hemorrhage due to straining during defecation or becoming emotionally agitated during arguments. It is quite common for someone to suddenly collapse and become unconscious after an argument, which is likely indicative of a brainstem hemorrhage. Additionally, one may experience severe headaches without any obvious triggers, along with numbness or weakness in the limbs and speech impairments. Furthermore, signs of coma often appear. If a patient's coma is accompanied by pinpoint pupils, it is crucial to get them to a hospital for appropriate examinations immediately, as this is very likely a precursor to brainstem hemorrhage.