The endovascular management of superior cerebellar artery aneurysms

Superior cerebellar artery aneurysms are rare. We present a clinical series of twelve of these aneurysms that were treated exclusively with endovascular coils.

A retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database of cerebral aneurysms treated with coil embolization was performed. Clinical notes and radiological images were reviewed.

Twelve superior cerebellar artery aneurysms were treated in eleven patients between 1992 and 2001. Seven patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage, two with neurologic deficit, and two had asymptomatic aneurysms. Coiling resulted in complete aneurysm obliteration in six patients and incomplete obliteration in the other six. No subsequent hemorrhage occurred with follow-up between 6 and 119 months (mean follow-up 50 months). Procedural morbidity was one superior cerebellar artery infarct with good recovery. Management morbidity was one middle cerebral artery embolus during a follow-up angiogram that required thrombolysis with a good clinical result. Nine out of 11 patients on follow-up were performing at Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) 5. One patient with GOS 3 presented with a poor grade subarachnoid hemorrhage and the other patient with GOS 4 presented with a parenchymal hemorrhage due to an arteriovenous malformation.

Endovascular treatment of superior cerebellar artery aneurysms is an effective treatment strategy with low morbidity.