Evaluation of circle of willis aneurysms with spiral computed tomographic angiography

The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of spiral computed tomographic angiograohy (SCTA) in the detection of intracranial aneurysms. Patients were included in this study on the ground of the SCTA, digital subtraction angiography, magnetic resonance angiography, neurosurgeons operative findings and autopsy reports. Scanning protocol was slice thickness of 1mm, reconstruction interval of 0.5 mm, pitch 1. Flow rate was 3-4 ml/s, with standard scan delay time of 15-20s. In 18 patients with average age of 49.3 years SCTA results were positive for cerebral aneurysms and confirmed with other methods. On a per aneurysm basis SCTA sensitivity for detection of aneurysms was 89.47% specificity was 86.96%, positive predictive value of 85.00% and negative predictive value of 90.91%. SCTA should be used for the detection of cerebral aneurysms, especially for aneurysms with maximum diameter larger than 5mm.