Abstract

Procollagen propeptides increase in the CSF after subarachnoid haemorrhage, reflecting increased collagen synthesis in the arachnoid. We studied the induction of dural collagen synthesis after cerebral trauma by measuring the carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) and the aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP) in 17 subdural haematoma or effusion fluid samples obtained at operation on days 10–85 after head trauma. The concentration of PICP was 78-fold higher and that of PIIINP 156-fold higher, relative to that in the serum. These results indicate that meningeal trauma is followed by a long lasting increase in dural collagen synthesis, and suggest that enhanced synthesis of the various extracellular matrix components may have a role in the development of chronic subdural haematoma or effusion.