Improvement in Angiographic Cerebral Vasospasm after Intra-Arterial Verapamil Administration

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Endovascular options for therapy for patients with vasospasm after SAH include angioplasty and intra-arterial vasodilator infusion. Preliminary studies of the effects of the calcium channel antagonist verapamil on angiographic vasospasm have yielded mixed and/or qualitative results. In this study, improvement in angiographic vasospasm after intra-arterial verapamil administration is demonstrated with quantitative, blinded methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective observational case series includes 12 patients with vasospasm after SAH who collectively received 16 treatments with intra-arterial verapamil during a 2-year period at our institution. The exclusion criterion was concurrent treatment with angioplasty. Blinded reviewers quantitatively evaluated angiograms from each patient and/or treatment after presentation with SAH and before and after intra-arterial treatment of vasospasrn. RESULTS: Patients were treated with intra-arterial verapamil for vasospasm 9 +/- 4 days after SAH with a range from 1 to 16 days. For the 34 arterial distributions treated, the segment with the worst angiographic vasospasm from each arterial distribution averaged 51 +/- 13% stenosis, which improved to 29 +/- 18% stenosis (P < .0011. There was no significant difference in treatment effect in proximal arterial segments, which may be amenable to angioplasty, compared with distal segments (P > .05). There was no significant difference in treatment effect in arterial segments previously subjected to angioplasty compared with other segments (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Intra-arterially administered verapamil improves angiographic vasospasm after SAH when administered at 10 +/- 3 mg per arterial distribution. Optimal dose, infusion rate, and retreatment interval remain to be determined. Randomized controlled trials are needed to prove efficacy in the treatment of clinical vasospasm.