Cerebral Haemorrhage from Rupture of Congenital Intracerebral Aneurysm in a Child

Intracranial aneurysms in the pediatric population: case series and literature review

BACKGROUND

Intracranial aneurysms in children (< or =18 years old) are rare, and their epidemiology is poorly understood. We present a prospective 14-year experience at our institution and review the literature to clarify the characteristics and outcomes of pediatric patients with intracranial aneurysms.

METHODS

Review of medical records in the Johns Hopkins aneurysm prospective database and review of the literature since 1939 were performed.

RESULTS

Of 1377 intracranial aneurysm cases at our institution from 1991 to 2004, 19 (1.4%) pediatric patients were treated using microsurgical or endovascular techniques. Male/female ratio was 2.2:1. Eleven percent occurred at the internal carotid artery (ICA) bifurcation, and 42% were located in the posterior circulation. Seven (37%) were giant lesions; 58% presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Patients in good Hunt and Hess grade (I-III) comprised 42%, and poor-grade (IV-V) patients comprised 16%. At a mean follow-up duration of 3.0 +/- 3 years, 95% of patients demonstrated favorable outcomes with Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 4 or 5. In the literature, a total of 706 pediatric intracranial aneurysm cases have been described since 1939. The male/female ratio is 1.8:1. The ICA bifurcation was the location in 26%, and only 17% were in the posterior circulation. Twenty percent were giant lesions, and 80% presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Good- and poor-grade patients comprise 49% and 36% of the total cases, respectively. Favorable outcome was reported in 60%.

CONCLUSIONS

During recent decades, good outcomes after the treatment of ruptured and unruptured pediatric aneurysms have increased, reaching 95% in the current series. Pediatric intracranial aneurysms occur more commonly in male patients and have a predilection for the terminal ICA bifurcation.

Intracranial arterial aneurysms in early childhood

Cerebral saccular aneurysms are rare in early childhood. Seventy-one cases in children under 5 years of age found in the literature, plus one case of our own, are analyzed. In early childhood these aneurysms seem to have features that distinguish them from the same variety in adults. In children a congenital pathogenesis appears more convincing because of the higher frequency in the first 2 years of life, the often peripheral site (41.6%), the high frequency of large (50%) or giant (26.8%) aneurysms, and the association with other cerebral and vascular congenital abnormalities. Onset was nonhemorrhagic in 18.1% of cases compared with 2.5% in adults. The surgical outcome seems better in children than in adult patients in terms of both morbidity and mortality.

Intracranial aneurysm in infancy. Case report

Angiography demonstrated an aneurysm of the left anterior cerebral artery in a 4-month-old baby who was admitted for subarachnoid hemorrhage. A surgical cure with long-term follow-up course was achieved. Clinical and pathogenetic aspects are presented. The rarity of such lesions in childhood and their successful surgical treatment are discussed briefly.

Intracranial hemorrhage in children and adolescents

✓ The authors report their experience with 124 cases of intracranial hemorrhage in children and adolescents; the study includes 25 cases first reported in 1958. Fifty aneurysms with a mortality rate of 28% and 33 arteriovenous malformations with a mortality rate of 21% are included; 32 cases had no angiographically demonstrable lesion, six had miscellaneous lesions, and three primary cerebral hemorrhage. Specific programs for therapeutic management based on this experience are discussed.

An aneurysm in infancy presenting with diabetes insipidus. Case report

✓ A 6-month-old child presenting with diabetes insipidus was found to have irregularities of some of the intracranial arteries as well as a large aneurysm at the bifurcation of the left internal carotid artery. The case is described and discussed.

Multiple intracranial aneurysms and vascular malformations in an infant. Case report

✓ A case is presented in which an infant had angiographic evidence of two aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery, arteriovenous malformations, aneurysmal dilatation of the left transverse sinus, and kinking of both internal carotid arteries. The literature on intracranial aneurysms in infants and children is reviewed; the clinical and pathological features differ greatly from those in adults.

[Treatment of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage]

O tratamento das hemorragias subaracnóideas espontâneas é estudado pormenorizadamente. Com poucas exceções, êsses casos são devidos a rotura de um aneurisma intracraniano, situado em 72% dos casos na artéria carótida interna ou em um de seus ramos principais. A incidência e a etiologia dos aneurismas são discutidas. O aneurisma se deve a um imperfeito desenvolvimento das paredes vasculares, associado a uma lesão degenerativa. A sintomatologia está ausente, na grande maioria dos casos, até a rotura do aneurisma, quando o paciente perde a consciência, entra em choque, com sinais de comprometimento dos nervos cranianos ou dos centros superiores. A presença de sangue no líqüido cefalorraquídeo, com aumento da pressão, é achado diagnóstico. O prognóstico dos aneurismas é grave; 40% dos pacientes vêm a falecer com a primeira hemorragia; daqueles que resistem ao primeiro acidente, 30% virão a falecer no segundo, terceiro ou quarto episódios dentro de um período de 10 anos. O tratamento da fase aguda é conservador, com absoluto repouso no leito. Quando as condições o permitam, arteriografias devem ser obtidas para demons- tração do aneurisma. O tratamento cirúrgico deve então ser instituído, a técnica variando de acôrdo com a localização da lesão, condições da circulação colateral, possibilidade de acesso cirúrgico direto, etc. O tratamento indireto deve ser associado ao direto, sempre que possível; far-se-á, portanto, a oclusão de uma ou mais artérias no pescoço com subseqüente isolamento intracraniano do aneurisma. As diferentes técnicas cirúrgicas são discutidas. Nos casos tratados pelo método conservador a mortalidade é de 48% e nos casos tratados pela cirurgia, de 14%. Cinco casos de aneurismas intracranianos são apresentados com a finalidade única de ilustrar os problemas clínicos. Êsses casos demonstram os diferentes tipos de evolução clínica e refletem a gravidade do prognóstico dos aneurismas, mostrando a necessidade de imediato e adequado tratamento.