Cerebral Hemorrhage in Experimental Renal Hypertension

Using rabbits, massive cerebral hemorrhages were produced in 31 of 74 animals (41.9%) which underwent Goldblatt's type of experimental renal hypertension.Fibrinoid necrosis of the small arteries and arterioles in the brain was observed in the animals with and without cerebral hemorrhages. Fibrinoid necrosis of the cerebral vessels seems to be the primary pathogenetic vascular lesion for cerebral hemorrhages and for rupture of the cerebral vessels with fibrinoid necrosis which rupture caused massive cerebral hemorrhages. Fibrinoid necrosis of the cerebral vessels appeared to be one of the manifestations of the generalized vascular lesions in the whole body.High blood pressure augmented the incidence of cerebral hemorrhages. Fibrinoid necrosis of the vessels in the brain and other organs, however, was frequently observed in slightly hypertensive as well as in markedly hypertensive animals. Therefore, the occurrence of fibrinoid necrosis and high blood pressure are considered to be due to 2 different factors.