Objective: The involvement of thrombin in the pathophysiology of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) was investigated by comparing thrombin expression and extrinsic pathway activation in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood of patients with SAH with the neurological grades, outcome, and presence of delayed cerebral vasospasm.
Methods: Blood and CSF samples were obtained from 38 patients with SAH on Days 3 through 5, 7 through 9, and 12 through 14 after the onset of SAH. CSF samples were also obtained from control patients. Thrombin-antithrombin III complex, prothrombin fragment F1 +2, tissue factor, and tissue factor pathway inhibitor were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: No markers in the blood or CSF were correlated with neurological grades and outcome. Thrombin-antithrombin III complex and prothrombin fragment F1 +2 levels were significantly higher in the CSF of patients with SAH than in the blood or the CSF of control patients and were significantly higher in patients with vasospasm than in patients without vasospasm on Days 7 through 9. Tissue factor levels were significantly higher in the CSF of patients with SAH than in the blood, but the levels were close to those in the CSF of control patients. Tissue factor pathway inhibitor levels in the CSF of patients with SAH and control patients were under the detection limit.
Conclusion: Thrombin in the blood may not reflect the pathophysiology of SAH. Imbalance between tissue factor and tissue factor pathway inhibitor in the CSF may tend to thrombin generation under normal physiological conditions and also after SAH. Thrombin in the CSF may be involved in the pathophysiology of vasospasm.