The probability of cerebral amyloid angiopathy according to the Simplified Edinburgh CT criteria in a large, unselected lobar intracerebral hemorrhage population.

Abstract

Purpose: Early identification of the underlying cause of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is important for treatment and prognosis. This study aims to investigate the association of hematoma volume and other clinical parameters on the distribution of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) probability according to the simplified Edinburgh CT criteria in a large, unselected intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) population.

Method: Patients with spontaneous ICH residing in Skane county registered with clinical data in the Swedish Stroke Register 2016-2020 were included. Radiological parameters were evaluated using baseline non-contrast CT (NCCT) for categorization according to the simplified Edinburgh CT criteria by the presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and fingerlike-projections (FLP). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with an increased (intermediate/high) CAA probability.

Results: Of 666 patients with lobar ICH, 190 (29%) had high, 92 (14%) had intermediate, and 384 (58%) had low CAA probability. Patients with increased CAA probability presented more often with decreased level of consciousness, larger hematoma volumes, and higher 90-day mortality. Baseline hematoma volume [10-30 ml (OR = 4.03;95%CI: 2.26-7.19); 30-80 ml (OR = 12.00;95%CI:7.26-22.53); >80 ml (OR = 30.00;95%CI:15.94-59.09)], female sex (OR = 1.58;95%CI:1.08-2.32) and age (OR = 1.04;95%CI:1.02-1.06) were associated with an increased odds of having an increased CAA probability.

Conclusion: We identified a strong association between baseline hematoma volume and an increased probability of CAA in lobar ICH patients on NCCT, indicating that large hematoma volumes alone may contribute to the occurrence of FLP and SAH, and act as a confounder for the simplified Edinburgh CT criteria. Validation against MRI is warranted.