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Intracranial hemorrhage includes a broad category of pathology such as epidural (EDH), subdural (SDH), subarachnoid (SAH), intraventricular (IVH), and intracerebral (ICH) hemorrhage. Identification of patients with suspected intracranial hemorrhage requires urgent brain imaging. Unenhanced CT is the study of choice given its availability, ease of use and sensitivity to subarachnoid hemorrhage, but MR imaging may contribute to the evaluation and management of suspected brain hemorrhage. For patients with ICH, the following underlying conditions must always be considered: coagulopathy, trauma, vascular lesions (e.g. arteriovenous malformations and dural arteriovenous fistulas) venous thrombosis, aneurysmal rupture, hemorrhagic conversion of ischemic injury (HT), and hemorrhagic mass lesions such as tumors.
While this is not a part of the MGH Adult Intracerebral Hemorrhage protocol, the FUNC score[1] may be useful to clinicians by providing guidance in clinical decision-making and patient selection for clinical trials.
For more informations, see the FUNC Score Calculator page.
These guidelines should be used only as medical and educational reference tools. They are not intended to be used as a diagnostic decision-making system and must not be used to replace or overrule a physician's judgment or diagnosis. Application of this information in a particular situation remains the professional responsibility of the practitioner.
The following steps should be considered in parallel rather than in sequence, especially in the stabilization of vital functions and correction of coagulopathy.
Reviewed/Approved by: Xuemei Cai, Sunny Dzik, Josh Goldstein, Javier Romero, Jonathan Rosand, Aman Patel, Frieder Schlunk
Last updated: 9/8/2015
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