Takeaway
Hematoma expansion is common in people with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) of unclear symptom onset and associated with poorer outcomes. Such patients may be appropriate for clinical trials targeting hematoma expansion.
Why this matters ?
Growth of a cerebral hematoma is associated with increased risk of death and functional impairment and clinical trials investigating agents to prevent hematoma expansion are ongoing.
Interventions to block hematoma expansion are likely to be most effective when rapidly administered. Therefore, due to strict inclusion criteria regarding known time of symptom onset and timely hospital presentation, patients with ICH of unclear symptom onset are underrepresented in hematoma expansion trials.