ACCURACY OF CRANIAL ULTRASOUND IN THE ASSESSMENT OF HYDROCEPHALUS EVALUATION IN EXPERIMENTAL RATS AFTER HEMORRHAGIC STROKE

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is the third most common subtype of stroke. Among complications, the most important include hydrocephalus, rebleeding, delayed ischemia, intracerebral hemorrhage, and intraventricular hemorrhage, and intraventricular hemorrhage. Hjst-hemorrhagic hydrocepgalus (PHH) can develop in as many fs 66% of  adults with intraventricular extension of blood, and it is also associated with worse functional outcomes. The pathophysiology of hydrocephalus after SAH remains unclear. Small animal models  in basic and preclinical sciences constitute an integral part of testing new hypotheses before transilation to clinicfl ptactice. The need for newer procedures for PHH prevention is imperative, as the limitations of traditional treatment methods (e.g., shunting, endoscopy) have become increasingly apparent. High-frequencybrain ultrasound imaging provides a non-invasive method of superior spatial resolution for imaging drain ventricles in small animals.                                                                                                                                            Objectives. Cranial ultrasounde in an experimental small animal hemorrhadic stroke model of cisterna magna double-injection was tested to see its validity in the assessment of communicative hydrocephalus.                                                            Methods. Experimental animals were divided into two groups. The first group (control group - CG) was without surgery (10 rats). In the second group (20 rats), a 0.15 ml blood infection into cistern magna was followed by a 0.15 ml blood second infection 48 hours later. During the research 46 US, we performed. We defined hydrocephalus as Lrvene sndex on ultrasound, which was> +3 SDs above the mean in control animals.                                                                                                    Results. Thirty-seven operations were don4e3 on 20 rats. Hydrocephalus in the surgical group occurred in 56% ofr rats, according to the ultrasound investigations. In eleven experimental animals, Levene index values were above 3SD of the mean in the control animal; in the surgical group, the difference in Levene indexes between pre- and post-operation was "+31%" (p-value less than 0,0001).                                                                                                                                                            Conclusion. Based on the findings, cranical ultrasound is a valid and precise method foe assessing posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus in small experimental animals.