Prevention of chronic experimental cerebral vasospasm with ibuprofen and high-dose methylprednisolone.

Severe chronic cerebral vasospasm was reliably induced in dogs by two injections, 2 days apart, of autologous blood into the cisterna magna. Treatment with ibuprofen or high-dose methylprednisolone after the first injection prevented or reduced vasospasm. Both drugs reduced meningismus and accelerated the rate of neurological recovery. Compared with specimens from normal dogs, rings of basilar arteries obtained from untreated dogs contracted weakly in response to 5-hydroxytryptamine, prostaglandin F2 alpha, potassium chloride, and barium chloride. Rings of arteries from dogs who received ibuprofen or methylprednisolone contracted more strongly. Electron micrographs of basilar arteries from untreated dogs showed degeneration of smooth muscle, whereas those from treated dogs did not. Thus, what is termed "chronic cerebral vasospasm" probably represents a structural derangement of the blood vessel wall leading to its narrowing, rather than a sustained contraction of the vascular smooth muscle. Administration of high-dose methylprednisolone and ibuprofen can prevent its occurrence.