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Cerebral aneurysm presenting with aseptic meningitis: a case report
Muhammad Azfar Saleem, R Loch Macdonald1
1Division of Neurosurgery, St, Michael's Hospital, Labatt Family Centre of Excellence in Brain Injury and Trauma Research, Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St, Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada. macdonaldlo@smh.ca.
Journal of Medical Case Reports
|October 22, 2013
Summary
New-onset headaches in patients with cerebral aneurysms may indicate aneurysm growth. Prompt evaluation and repair are crucial, even for mild headaches, to prevent serious complications like subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Vascular Neurology
Background:
- Cerebral aneurysms can present with varied symptoms.
- Headaches are common and may be incidental findings in patients with aneurysms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the significance of new-onset headaches in patients with cerebral aneurysms.
- To underscore the potential link between headache, aneurysm growth, and cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis.
Main Methods:
- Case report of a 61-year-old woman with new-onset headache and a superior cerebellar artery aneurysm.
- Monitoring of aneurysm size and clinical presentation, including cerebrospinal fluid analysis.
- Endovascular repair of the aneurysm following subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Main Results:
- The patient experienced insidious onset headache, later developing subarachnoid hemorrhage.
- The aneurysm enlarged prior to the hemorrhage.
- Cerebrospinal fluid showed lymphocytosis.
- Successful endovascular repair resulted in a good recovery (modified Rankin score of 1).
Conclusions:
- New-onset chronic headache in individuals with unruptured aneurysms may signify aneurysm enlargement.
- Cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis can be associated with this presentation.
- Even mild new-onset headaches warrant consideration for timely aneurysm repair due to potential growth and rupture risk.
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