Serial Changes in CSF Volume Proportion on Brain CT and 6-Month Neurologic Outcomes After Cardiac Arrest: A 72–96-h Landmark Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Single-time-point cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume proportion (pCSFV) has shown limited prognostic utility after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We hypothesized that serial within-patient change in pCSFV (ΔpCSFV), rather than absolute values, would reflect progression of neurologic injury. Methods: This retrospective 72–96-h landmark cohort study included comatose adult OHCA survivors who underwent brain computed tomography (CT) within 6 h (early) and at 72–96 h (delayed) after return of spontaneous circulation. pCSFV was quantified using Hounsfield-unit-based volumetry. ΔpCSFV was calculated as delayed pCSFV minus early pCSFV. The primary outcome was poor 6-month neurologic outcome (Cerebral Performance Category 3–5). Results: Among 125 patients, 63 (50.4%) had poor neurologic outcomes. Early and delayed pCSFV did not differ significantly between outcome groups, whereas ΔpCSFV was lower in the poor-outcome group (p < 0.001). In the five-parameter multiple-imputation model, ΔpCSFV was associated with poor outcome (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.684 per 1 percentage-point increase, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.494–0.947; p = 0.022), with a consistent result in the complete-case sensitivity analysis (aOR 0.648, 95% CI 0.446–0.940; p = 0.022). However, this association was attenuated after additional adjustment for early pCSFV (aOR 0.728, 95% CI 0.462–1.146; p = 0.170). Adding ΔpCSFV to the baseline model did not significantly improve discrimination (area under the curve 0.962 vs. 0.955; p = 0.292). Conclusions: ΔpCSFV may provide complementary information on serial CSF-space changes but should not be interpreted as a baseline-independent marker. These findings apply only to patients who survived and underwent delayed CT at 72–96 h. The observed data-derived cutoff is exploratory and requires external validation before any clinical application.