Pre-embolization study of ruptured cerebral aneurysms with helical CT

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Ruptured aneurysms pose a significant risk, necessitating accurate pre-interventional anatomical assessment.
• Endovascular embolization is a common treatment, requiring detailed visualization of the aneurysm neck and surrounding vasculature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic utility of helical CT angiography (axial images and 3D-CTA) with rotational digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for evaluating ruptured aneurysms.
• To determine if helical CT provides information not obtainable with rotational DSA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 16 patients with ruptured aneurysms treated with endovascular embolization.
• Comparison of imaging findings from helical CT (axial images and 3D-CTA) and rotational DSA, focusing on the aneurysmal neck and adjacent arterial branches.

Main Results:

• Helical CT (axial images and/or 3D-CTA) provided more useful information than rotational DSA in evaluating the aneurysmal neck and adjacent arterial branches in 7 out of 16 cases (43.8%).
• Helical CT identified valuable anatomical details of ruptured aneurysms not visualized by rotational DSA in some patients.

Conclusions:

• Helical CT angiography is a valuable tool for assessing ruptured aneurysms, offering complementary anatomical information to rotational DSA.
• This technique aids in selecting the optimal therapeutic strategy for ruptured aneurysms.