Feasibility of a combined swirl and blending sign on non-contrast computed tomography for predicting early hematoma expansion after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage

Abstract

BACKGROUND: For predicting the hematoma expansion of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, spot and swirl signs have been investigated. However, the clinical effectiveness of these signs remains debatable. These signs do not consider the peripheral hypodense lesions, which may imply a greater chance of ongoing bleedings. We proposed a new combined swirl and blending sign and evaluated its clinical usefulness in predicting hematoma expansion in non-contrast computed tomography settings. METHODS: A total of 201 patients who were diagnosed with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage were enrolled. Their clinical and radiologic data were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were classified into hematoma expansion (N.=51) and nonexpansion groups (N.=150), and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with hematoma expansion. RESULTS: In the hematoma expansion group, an average of 20 mL of volume increase was noted. In multivariate analyses, several factors, including higher systolic blood pressure (P=0.026), larger initial hematoma volume (0.002), spot sign (0.019) and combined swirl and blending sign (<0.001), were identified as reliable predictors of hematoma expansion. A swirl (P=0.396) or blending sign (P=0.124) alone was not identified as a significant predictor of hematoma growth. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the combined swirl and blending sign were 31%, 97%, 80%, and 81%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A newly defined "combined swirl and blending sign" on non-contrast computed tomography was positively associated with an increased risk of hematoma expansion of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage and could be regarded as a reliable predictor in non-contrast computed tomography settings.