Computed tomography studies of 250 patients with spontaneous hemorrhage were examined in three hospitals in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The goal of this study was to identify the aspects of this disease that appear most frequently in this type of exam. Deep intracerebral hematomas have had the highest incidence followed by lobar hemorrhage, with thalamus being more frequently affected. Cerebelar hemorrhage was much rarer, with brainstem bleeding observed in few patients. The age group with a peak incidence was at 61 to 70 years. Headache was the most frequently related symptom and elevated levels of blood pressure were found in most of the cases. There was no pronounced difference as to predominance in either sex or side most affected but it was observed that the onset of this disease occurs at an earlier age in men than in women. Blood draining into the ventricular system occurred more frequently in deep hematomas.
spontaneous hemorrhage; computed tomography
