Aim:Cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. In this study we examined the effects of L-carnitine on cerebral vasospasm process.
Material and Methods:Twenty male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups. Group 1 served as control; group 2 were not subjected to SAH and received intravenous L-carnitine 3 times; group 3 were subjected to SAH and group 4 were subjected to SAH and treated with 100 mg/kg intravenous L-carnitine at 0 24 and 48 hours after SAH. All animals were euthanized by perfusion-fixation 72 hours after SAH induction. Brains were then removed and stored in fixative +4°C overnight. The subjects basilar arteries were sectioned from four separate zones. Basilar artery cross sectional areas and thicknesses of vessels were measured by using SPOT for Windows Version 4.1 computer programme. Stastistical comparisons were performed by using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests.
Results:Basilar artery wall thicknesses in group 4 were significantly lower than group 3 (p=0,009). Basilar artery cross sectional areas in group 4 were higher than group 3 which were also statistically significant (p=0,008)
Conclusion:L-carnitine has shown to be potentially beneficial on the resolution of cerebral vasospasm following SAH.