The rise of soluble platelet-derived growth factor receptor ß in CSF early after subarachnoid hemorrhage correlates with cerebral vasospasm.

Platelet-derived growth factor ß (PDGFß) has been proposed to contribute to the development of cerebral vasospasm (CVS) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and soluble PDGFRß (sPDGFRß) is considered to be an inhibitor of PDGF signaling. We aimed at determining the sPDGFRß concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with aneurysmal SAH (aSAH) and analyzing the relationship between sPDGFRß level and CVS. CSF was sampled from 32 patients who suffered aSAH and five normal controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine the sPDGFRß concentrations in the CSF. Functional outcome was assessed using modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 6 months after aSAH. CVS was identified using transcranial Doppler or angio-CT or DSA. The cutoff of sPDGFRß for CVS was defined on the ROC curve. The concentrations of sPDGFRß following aSAH were both higher than those of normal controls on days 1-3 and 4-6, and peaked on days 7-9 post-SAH. The cutoff value of sPDGFRß level on days 1-3 for CVS was defined as 975.38 pg/ml according to the ROC curve (AUC = 0.680, p = 0.082). In addition, CSF sPDGFRß concentrations correlated with CVS (r = 0.416, p = 0.018), and multivariate analysis indicated that sPDGFRß level higher than 975.38 pg/ml on days 1-3 was an independent predictor of CVS (p = 0.001, OR = 19.22, 95% CI: 3.27-113.03), but not for unfavorable outcome after aSAH in the current study. CSF sPDGFRß level increases after aSAH and is higher in patients who developed CVS, and sPDGFRß level higher than 975.38 pg/ml on days 1-3 is a potential predictor for CVS after SAH.