The Safety and Efficacy of Rapamycin on Communicating Hydrocephalus Secondary to Intraventricular Hemorrhage

Communicating hydrocephalus secondary to intraventricular hemorrhage is a serious neurological disorder with the main clinical manifestations of ventricular dilatation, gait disturbance, cognitive dysfunction, and urinary incontinence. At present, the sole treatment option for these patients is cerebrospinal fluid shunting. However, complications resulting from this therapy have necessitated multiple surgeries for some patients, which has a significant impact on their quality of life and financial resources. However, recent studies have identified the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway as a key contributor to the sequelae of hemorrhagic hydrocephalus. Furthermore, these studies demonstrated that rapamycin, an inhibitor of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway, inhibited cerebrospinal fluid secretion and ventricular dilation in an animal model of hemorrhagic hydrocephalus sequelae. In light of these findings, we propose a prospective, multicenter, open-label clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rapamycin in the treatment of communicating hydrocephalus secondary to intraventricular hemorrhage.

The study design was that of a prospective, multicenter, open-label clinical trial. All patients were administered sirolimus (rapamycin) in a dosage of 0.5 mg per capsule. The capsules were provided by the North China Pharmaceutical Company and were stored at room temperature. The treatment course was four weeks, with a dosage of 1.5 mg orally per day. Efficacy and adverse effects were assessed at two weeks, four weeks, the end of treatment, and 12 weeks after the end of treatment, respectively.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients with ventricular dilatation due to intraventricular hemorrhage who clinically present with any one or more of new gait disturbances, cognitive deficits, and urinary incontinence after remission of intraventricular hemorrhage symptoms, and whose brain imaging shows an Evans index (EI) of ≥0.3
• Age ≥ 18 years and ≤ 70 years
• Signed informed consent form

Exclusion criteria

• Participation in another medical trial
• Have other disease that may affect the patient's symptoms (including gait disturbance, cognitive impairment, urinary incontinence)
• Allergy to the investigational drug
• Reduced liver function (increased INR or alanine transaminase concentrations in plasma elevated more than 1.5 times reference values)
• Reduced kidney function with GFR < 50
• Concomitant treatment with strong CYP3A4/5 inducers or inhibitors, such as diltiazem, ketoconazole, or rifampicin.
• Active or uncontrolled chronic infection
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Patients who are bedridden or require urinary catheters for extended periods of time.