Objective:To assess the effect of lesions of cerebral hemorrhage on cardiac damages and cardiac autonomic nervous activity. Methods: ECG and heart rate variability(HRV) recordings were measured and analysed in 150 patients with hemispheric cerebral hemorrhage in the acute phase and in 150 control subjects. Results: Supraventricular arrhythmias were significantly increased in groups of right putamental and frontoparietote-mporal hemorrhage compared with left putamental and frontoparietotemporal hemorrhage and the controls. A significantly increased rate of ST segment abnormalities were found in groups of left putamental and frontoparietotemporal hemorrhage compared with groups of right putamental and frontoparietotemporal hemorrhage and the controls. The measured components of HRV

ie

HF

RMSSD

and PNN50 were significantly lower

and LF/HF were significantly higher in groups of right putamental and frontoparietotemporal hemorrhage in acute phase compared with control group. Conclusion:The effects of hemispheric cerebral hemorrhage on heart function and cardiac autonomic nervous activity are mainly correlated with destruction of insular or regions adjacent to the insular.