Optical Coherence Tomography for Intracranial Aneurysms: A New Method for Assessing the Aneurysm Structure

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Neurosurgery

Background:

• Current methods for predicting aneurysm rupture risk lack precision, leading to unnecessary prophylactic treatments and complications.
• A need exists for advanced imaging modalities to improve the accuracy of intracranial aneurysm risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for assessing the structural integrity of intracranial aneurysms.
• To determine if OCT can differentiate between ruptured and unruptured aneurysms based on wall structure.

Main Methods:

• In vivo OCT imaging was performed on induced aneurysms in rabbits and in human intracranial aneurysm patients.
• Rotational OCT scanning was employed to capture images of the parent artery and aneurysm from multiple angles.

Main Results:

• OCT images of rabbit aneurysms showed strong correlation with histologic findings, clearly depicting the three-layered arterial architecture.
• Ruptured aneurysms exhibited complete wall structure breakdown, while unruptured aneurysms showed signs of degradation, such as loss of demarcation between layers.

Conclusions:

• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) provides high-resolution, detailed information on intracranial aneurysm structures.
• OCT enables precise assessment of vascular construction, offering distinct insights into aneurysm integrity and potential rupture risk.