Dissecting aneurysm of the anterior cerebral artery requiring surgical treatment--case report

A 45-year-old male presented with spontaneous dissecting aneurysm in the anterior cerebral artery manifesting as headache persisting for several days and speech disturbance. Neurological and laboratory examinations showed no abnormalities. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed infarction in the right cingulate gyrus. Angiography revealed occlusion of the right A2. Repeat angiography 8 months later showed a saccular aneurysm had developed. The interhemispheric approach exposed the aneurysm at the junction between the right frontopolar artery and the pericallosal artery. The aneurysm was fusiform due to the right A2 dissection. The aneurysm was trapped and resected. One month after the operation, the patient was discharged without neurological deficits. Cases of dissecting aneurysms in the anterior cerebral artery with ischemic onset are usually treated conservatively. Cases requiring surgery include those due to trauma, growing aneurysms, giant aneurysms, and uncontrolled hypertension. Some dissecting aneurysms of the distal anterior cerebral artery require only resection without bypass surgery.

A patient whose cerebral aneurysm ruptured soon after an operation to remove a maxillary cyst

A hypertensive woman complained of a headache soon after an operation to remove a maxillary cyst. A computed tomogram showed evidence of subarachnoid haemorrhage and on angiogram an aneurysm of an anterior cerebral artery. The aneurysm was treated by clipping and the patient recovered.

Ruptured aneurysm at the origin of the median artery of the corpus callosum associated with accessory middle cerebral artery--case report

A 62-year-old male presented with ruptured anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysm manifesting as severe headache associated with the rare combination of median artery of the corpus callosum (MACC) and accessory middle cerebral artery (MCA). Computed tomography demonstrated diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage. Left carotid angiography demonstrated an anomalous vessel originating from the ACoA complex and passing forward in the interhemispheric fissure between the two companion A2 segments. This vessel was identified as the MACC. Another anomalous vessel originated from the left A1-A2 segment and passed into the sylvian fissure. This vessel was identified as the accessory MCA. Left frontotemporal craniotomy was performed to clip the neck of the aneurysm. After identifying both A1 and A2 segments, accessory MCA, and the MACC, the aneurysm neck was occluded successfully. The ACoA complex is one of the most frequent sites of vascular anomalies. Preoperative and intraoperative care is required to identify the presence of anomalies of the ACoA complex prior to clip placement, to avoid accidental damage or clipping, which may result in severe neurological deficits.

Neuropsychological changes after surgery for anterior communicating artery aneurysm

Neuropsychological disturbances following surgery for anterior communicating artery aneurysms were analyzed in 26 patients (11 males, 15 females) using the Hasegawa dementia scale-revised (HDS-R) over a 3-year period. The patients were aged from 34 to 76 years (mean 54.1 years). Lesions in the frontal lobe were evaluated using computed tomography (CT). Twenty-three patients had symptoms over the course. Four patients had basal forebrain lesion, five had ventral frontal lesion, and 12 had no lesion. Patients with basal forebrain lesion and no lesion tended to show disorientation. The mean HDS-R score was 10.2 points in the patients with ventral frontal lesion, and 13.5 points in the patients with no lesion. These scores are within the range for dementia. The mean HDS-R score in patients with basal forebrain and striate lesions was over 25 points and beyond the range for dementia. Significant differences were observed in the HDS-R score between patients with ventral frontal lesion and basal forebrain lesion, and between patients with no lesion and basal forebrain lesion (p < 0.05). Recovery from neuropsychological disturbances was poorer in patients with ventral frontal lesion and no lesion compared to those with basal forebrain and striate lesions, and their symptoms tended to persist.

Clinical presentation and management of giant anterior communicating artery region aneurysms

OBJECT

The authors reviewed their 20-year experience with giant anterior communicating artery aneurysms to correlate aneurysm size with clinical presentation and to analyze treatment methods.

METHODS

In 18 patients, visual and cognitive impairment were quantitated and clinical outcome was categorized according to the Rankin scale. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test.

CONCLUSIONS

At least 3.5 cm of aneurysm mass effect was required to produce dementia in the patient (p = 0.0004). Dementia was usually caused by direct brain compression by the aneurysm rather than by hydrocephalus. Optic apparatus compression occurred with smaller aneurysms (2.7-3.2 cm) when they pointed inferiorly. Aneurysm neck clipping was possible in half of the cases. Special techniques, including temporary clipping, evacuation of intraluminal thrombus, tandem and/or fenestrated clipping, and clip reconstruction were often required. Occlusion of or injury to the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) was the main cause of poor outcome or death. Proximal ACA occlusion, even of dominant A1 segments with small or no contralateral A1 artery, was an effective treatment alternative and was well tolerated as a result of excellent leptomeningeal collateral circulation.

Early aneurysm recurrence after technically satisfactory Guglielmi detachable coil therapy: is early surveillance needed? Case report

Guglielmi detachable coil (GDC) therapy was initially intended as a treatment for select patients harboring aneurysms deemed to be at high risk for clip ligation. As experience with the technique has grown, many centers are now offering GDC therapy as a primary treatment to patients who are also good surgical candidates. The authors report a case in which a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm recurred within 2 weeks of a technically satisfactory GDC procedure. The patient subsequently underwent successful surgery for clip ligation of the lesion. This is the earliest reported recurrence of an aneurysm after angiographically confirmed successful GDC therapy and underscores the need for performing early control angiography in patients undergoing this procedure.

Radiographic evidence and surgical confirmation of a saccular aneurysm on a hypoplastic duplicated A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery: case report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE

True duplication of the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery is extremely rare, as is finding a true A1 segment saccular aneurysm. We report the angiographic and surgical findings of such a case with the additional association of a hypoplastic ipsilateral M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

A 68-year-old man presented with a Hunt and Hess Grade II subarachnoid hemorrhage and symptoms of headache, nuchal rigidity, and facial paresis.

INTERVENTION

Angiographic evaluation with superselective exploration revealed a small ruptured aneurysm located on a duplicated hypoplastic A1 segment of the left anterior cerebral artery with associated middle cerebral artery stenosis and secondary early moyamoya changes. Surgical clipping of the aneurysm was performed successfully while sparing the hypoplastic A1 segment.

CONCLUSION

A1 aneurysms occurring on a duplicated anterior cerebral artery segment probably develop from a congenital weakness of the parent vessel and increased local shear stress. Superselective angiography was helpful in the preoperative planning and facilitated the decision to treat with surgical clipping instead of embolization.

[A ruptured aneurysm of the anterior and posterior inferior cerebellar artery: a case report]

We report a case of an anterior and posterior-inferior cerebellar artery (AICA-PICA) aneurysm. The patient was a 62-year-old woman who suffered from sudden onset of severe headache and nuchalgia. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage in the ambient cistern and blood clots in the 3rd and 4th ventricles. Vertebral angiography demonstrated an aneurysm located at the distal segment of the left AICA-PICA. Three demensional CT scan was very useful for the decision concerning surgical strategy. The patient underwent bilateral occipital craniectomy and the aneurysm was clipped successfully via the midline suboccipital approach. Her postoperative course was uneventful. Postoperative angiography showed successful clipping of the aneurysm. Distal AICA-PICA aneurysm is a very rare disease and only one case has been reported in the literature. The clinical features, CT findings, and surgical approach of distal AICA-PICA aneurysms are briefly discussed while reviewing the literature.

Ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm encased in a tuberculum sellae meningioma. Case report

This 70-year-old woman suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm encased in a meningioma in the tuberculum sellae. Although preoperative magnetic resonance imaging disclosed that the aneurysmal complex was completely enclosed in the tumor, angiographic studies did not reveal arterial narrowing. The embedded aneurysm caused diffuse SAH rather than intratumoral hemorrhage. These factors indicated very little adhesion between the tumor and the encased arteries. Surgery was performed on the 20th day post-SAH. Intraoperative findings revealed that the tumor did not adhere to the enclosed vasculature except at the point of rupture of the aneurysm. The authors were able to clip the aneurysm safely after piecemeal removal of the tumor, which was finally extirpated without fear of aneurysm rupture. Careful stepwise procedures were essential to treat the aneurysm and the tumor simultaneously.

[Persistent primitive olfactory artery: report of 5 cases]

Five cases of a persistent primitive olfactory artery are reported. The anomalous artery coursed anteromedially along the ipsilateral olfactory nerve and made a hairpin turn, supplying the circulation of the anterior cerebral artery. It was proposed that a primitive embryonic olfactory artery had remained as this artery. A cerebral aneurysm was located at the hairpin curve of the artery. Hemodynamic stress is considered to have an important role in aneurysm formation. Any aneurysm occurring at an artery should be considered for surgical treatment.