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Published on: August 11, 2015
Pediatric intracranial aneurysms: an institutional experience
Vivek Kumar Vaid1, Raj Kumar, Samir Kumar Kalra
1Department of Neurosurgery, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.
Insights
Pediatric intracranial aneurysms, though rare, often present with subarachnoid hemorrhage and have a male predominance. These children show better grades and surgical outcomes compared to adults.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Cerebrovascular Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Intracranial aneurysms are rare in children, with poorly understood epidemiology and unique characteristics.
- This study investigates the epidemiology, clinicoradiological profile, and outcomes of pediatric intracranial aneurysms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the epidemiological features of pediatric intracranial aneurysms.
- To describe the clinicoradiological presentation and outcomes in children with intracranial aneurysms.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 27 pediatric patients (<18 years) treated for intracranial aneurysms between 1991 and 2007.
- Patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) or mass effect, confirmed by digital subtraction angiography.
Main Results:
- Most pediatric patients (85.18%) presented with SAH, with sudden severe headache and loss of consciousness as common symptoms.
- Internal carotid artery (ICA) bifurcations and middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcations were the most frequent aneurysm sites.
- A higher incidence of giant and posterior circulation aneurysms was observed compared to adults.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric intracranial aneurysms commonly present with SAH, showing a male predominance.
- ICA and MCA bifurcations are the most common locations.
- Children with intracranial aneurysms tend to present with better grades and achieve more favorable surgical outcomes than adults.
Introduction:
Intracranial aneurysms are extremely uncommon in the pediatric population. Their epidemiology is poorly understood, and certain features make them unique. In our study we analyzed pediatric intracranial aneurysm patients to gain an insight into the epidemiology, clinicoradiological profile and outcome.
Material And Methods:
Out of 36 children (< or =18 years of age; male:female ratio = 1.076:1; mean age 13.19 +/- 3.72 years, age range 5-18 years) presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH; n = 33; 91.67%) and mass effect (n = 3; 8.33%), 27 who were positive on digital subtraction angiography and treated for intracranial aneurysms between January 1991 and February 2007 were included in this study.
Results:
At presentation, the majority (n = 21) of the pediatric intracranial patients showed a good grade, and 23 (85.18%) presented with SAH. Sudden severe headache (n = 19; 70.37%) and loss of consciousness (n = 14; 51.85%) were the most common symptoms, and meningeal signs (n = 18; 66.66%) most commonly elicitable. There were 7 patients with giant aneurysms and 8 patients with posterior circulation aneurysms. Internal carotid artery (ICA) bifurcations (n = 6; 18.18%) followed by middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcations (n = 4; 12.12%) were the most common sites. At a mean follow-up of 18.67 +/- 10.85 months (range 1-42 months), there were 21 (77.77%) patients with favorable outcome and 3 patients died.
Conclusions:
Intracranial aneurysms in children commonly present with SAH; there is a male predominance, and ICA bifurcations followed by MCA bifurcations are the most common sites. The incidence of posterior circulation aneurysms and giant aneurysms is higher as compared to adults. The pediatric patients present with better grades and have better overall surgical results.
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