Cerebral Aneurysms: Are They Associated with Anatomic Variations of Carotid and Main Cerebral Arteries?

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 30, 2026

A Rat Model of Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion/Reperfusion Without Damaging the Anatomical Structure of Cerebral Vessels
06:10

A Rat Model of Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion/Reperfusion Without Damaging the Anatomical Structure of Cerebral Vessels

Published on: May 17, 2024

1.2K

Jakub Polak1, Szymon Ciuk2, Iwona Kucybała1

  • 1Department of Radiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.

World Neurosurgery
|January 15, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Vascular anatomic variants like carotid artery origin variations, hypoplasia, or duplication of cerebral arteries are linked to a higher incidence of cerebral aneurysms. Carotid artery kinking, however, showed no correlation with aneurysm formation.

Area of Science:

  • Vascular anatomy
  • Neurology
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Vascular anatomic variations are common.
  • The link between these variations and life-threatening vascular malformations, such as cerebral aneurysms, is not fully understood.
  • Understanding this correlation is crucial for risk assessment and clinical management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between anatomical variants of carotid and major cerebral arteries and the presence of cerebral aneurysms.
  • To assess specific variants including common carotid artery origin, cerebral artery hypoplasia/duplication, and carotid artery kinking.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of computed tomography angiography (CTA) scans of 194 patients.
  • Evaluation of common carotid artery origin variations (e.g., bovine arch), cerebral artery hypoplasia or duplication, and internal carotid artery kinking.
  • Statistical analysis to determine the association between these variants and cerebral aneurysms.

Main Results:

  • Cerebral aneurysms were present in 5.7% of patients.
  • Hypoplasia (34.5%) and duplication (2.6%) of major cerebral arteries were significantly associated with cerebral aneurysms (OR=3.175 and OR=18.500, respectively).
  • Alternative aortic arch branching patterns increased the likelihood of cerebral aneurysms (OR=5.903), while carotid artery kinking did not show a significant association (P=0.378).

Conclusions:

  • A clear association exists between specific vascular anatomical variants and the occurrence of cerebral aneurysms.
  • Variants in carotid artery origin and cerebral artery development (hypoplasia, duplication) are important risk factors.
  • Carotid artery kinking is not a predisposing factor for cerebral aneurysm formation.
Abstract

Keywords:
Anatomic variantsCarotid arteriesCerebral aneurysmsCerebral arteries

More Related Videos

Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Allowing Reperfusion via Common Carotid Artery Repair in Mice06:59

Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Allowing Reperfusion via Common Carotid Artery Repair in Mice

Published on: January 23, 2019

18.6K
Focal Cerebral Ischemia Model by Endovascular Suture Occlusion of the Middle Cerebral Artery in the Rat13:50

Focal Cerebral Ischemia Model by Endovascular Suture Occlusion of the Middle Cerebral Artery in the Rat

Published on: February 5, 2011

80.9K

Related Concept Videos

Cerebral Hemispheres01:05

Cerebral Hemispheres

The human brain, a complex organ, is functionally divided into two cerebral hemispheres—left and right. These hemispheres are interconnected by a structure of paramount importance, the corpus callosum. This substantial bundle of neural fibers is not just a bridge between the hemispheres but a crucial element for the brain's comprehensive functioning. It enables efficient communication between the two hemispheres, allowing each side of the brain to control and receive sensory and motor...
2.4K
What is Variation?01:14

What is Variation?

Apart from the measures of central tendency, distribution, outliers, and the changing characteristics of data with time, an important characteristic of any data set is its variation or spread. In some data sets, the data values are concentrated closely near the mean; in others, the data values are more widely spread out from the mean.
The range, standard deviation, standard error, and variance are the different measures of variation.
Range: The range is the difference between its maximum and...
18.4K
Variation01:19

Variation

An important characteristic of any set of data is the variation in the data. In some data sets, the data values are concentrated closely near the mean; in other data sets, the data values are more widely spread out from the mean. The most common measure of variation, or spread, is the standard deviation, which is the square root of variance.
When independent and dependent variables are plotted on a scatter plot, the slope of a line is a value that describes the rate of change between the two...
8.0K
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
6.8K
Anatomical Positions01:11

Anatomical Positions

In anatomy, several standard anatomical positions are used as references for describing the position and orientation of different body parts. These positions help provide a common frame of reference when discussing anatomical structures. The anatomical position is the standard reference point for describing the body's position and orientation. In this position:
The body is upright, facing forward, and standing erect.
The feet are parallel and flat on the floor.
The arms are hanging by the...
19.9K
Variation of Atmospheric Pressure01:18

Variation of Atmospheric Pressure

Change in atmospheric pressure with height is particularly interesting. The decrease in atmospheric pressure with increasing altitude is due to the decreasing gravitational force per unit area as we move away from the surface of the earth.
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...
4.1K