Intracerebral hematoma in metastatic tumors: report of 11 cases]

Spontaneous intracerebral haematoma caused by metastatic neoplasms are reported in 11 patients, 8 males and 3 females, with age between 19 and 74 years. We had 7 melanomas, 3 carcinomas and one choriocarcinoma. The presenting symptoms were those of classical spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage with a history of sudden headache, coma or stupor, hemiparesis or hemiplegia or other focal signal, and bloody cerebrospinal fluid. Three patients presented more than one hemorrhagic episodes. In four cases the computerized tomography revealed multiple lesions. Seven patients were operated by large craniotomy with evacuation of the hematoma and in one a cerebral biopsy revealed a melanoma and in the other six a large tumoral mass was removed. The average survival was 39 days.