Purpose
To evaluate whether there is a relationship between renal artery vasospasm
related low glomerular density or degeneration and neurogenic lung edema
(NLE) following subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Methods
This study was conducted on 26 rabbits. A control group was formed of five
animals, a SHAM group of 5 to which saline and a study group (n=16) injected
with homologous blood into the sylvian cisterna. Numbers of degenerated
axons of renal branches of vagal nerves, atrophic glomerulus numbers and NLE
scores were recorded.
Results
Important vagal degeneration, severe renal artery vasospasm, intrarenal
hemorrhage and glomerular atrophy observed in high score NLE detected
animals. The mean degenerated axon density of vagal nerves
(n/mm
2
), atrophic glomerulus density (n/mm
3
) and NLE
scores of control, SHAM and study groups were estimated as 2.40±1.82,
2.20±1.30, 1.80±1.10, 8.00±2.24, 8.80±2.39, 4.40±1.14 and 154.38±13.61,
34.69±2.68 and 12.19±1.97 consecutively. Degenerated vagal axon, atrophic
glomerulus and NLE scores are higher in study group than other groups and
the differences are statistically meaningful (p<0.001).
Conclusion
Vagal complex degeneration based glomerular atrophy have important roles on
NLE following SAH which has not been extensively mentioned in the
literature.