OBJECTIVE: To identify the most frequent aspects of spontaneous cerebral intraparenchymatous hematoma found at computed tomography examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed, retrospectively, the computed tomography studies of 250 patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage carried out in three hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. RESULTS: Deep intracerebral hematomas showed the highest incidence and were observed in 54.4% of the cases (136 patients) followed by lobar hemorrhage in 34.8% of the cases (87 patients). Cerebelar hemorrhage and brainstem bleeding were more rarely observed, occurring in 8.4% (21 patients) and 2.4% (six patients) of the cases, respectively. CONCLUSION: Chronic headache was the most frequent symptom whereas hypertension was observed in the majority of the cases. Blood draining into the ventricular system occurred more frequently in patients with deep hematomas.
Intracerebral hemorrhage; Computed tomography scan; Hypertension; Headache
