Hypoxyrrhachia in Association with Intracranial Hemorrhage

Oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid and arterial blood were determined in 15 patients. The results confirmed those reported in the literature with the exception of four patients with intracranial hemorrhage. Under this circumstance, oxygen tensions in the spinal fluid were considerably lower than those obtained in arterial blood. This hypoxyrrhachia, associated with cerebral hemorrhage, is probably related to oxygen uptake by cellular blood elements as demonstrated by in vitro studies. Cerebral arterial vasoconstriction may also play a role. Cerebrospinal fluid acidosis was also demonstrated. It is possible that these changes may significantly affect the operability of patients with intracranial hemorrhage.