EDITOR'S PERSPECTIVE ON ARTICLE 1: Mechanisms of edema formation after intracerebral hemorrhage: effects of thrombin on cerebral blood flow, blood-brain barrier permeability, and cell survival in a rat model
The authors use a highly reproducible model to simulate spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in rats. The progressive mass effect that develops over several days after hemorrhage is largely due to edema formation in brain parenchyma adjacent to the clot. The specific mechanisms that are responsible for the enlarging lesion are explored in well-designed and executed experiments. The toxic effect of thrombin, released during the clotting process, on brain parenchyma has been identified as well as a therapeutic window when specific treatment can interrupt edema formation around the hematoma.