Search
- About 2% of the adult population have an asymptomatic cerebral aneurysm.
- Unruptured aneurysms can cause symptoms such as headache, visual acuity loss, cranial neuropathies (particularly thrid nerve palsy), pyramidal tract dysfunction, and facial pain; these are thought to be due to mass effect on the aneurysm.
- 20 to 30% of people with a cerebral aneurysm, have multiple aneurysms; Don't miss co-existing aneurysms on CTA or MRI.
- The majority of intracranial aneurysms are located in the anterior circulation, most commonly in the Circle of Willis.
- When localizing aneurysm on CTA and MRI, common sites include:
--- junction of the anterior communicating artery (ACOM) with the anterior cerebral artery (ACA)
--- junction of the posterior communicating artery (PCOM) with the internal carotid artery (ICA)
--- bifurcation of the middle cerebral artery (MCA)
References
Singer, et al. "Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms." November 2007. UptoDate online 16.2.