Investigating the Association between Aortic Arch Variants and Intracranial Aneurysms.

Area of Science:

• Vascular Neurology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Intracranial aneurysms are associated with vessel asymmetry, possibly due to altered hemodynamics.
• Previous research suggests a link between anterior cerebral artery asymmetry and anterior communicating artery aneurysms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential relationship between aortic arch branching patterns and the incidence of intracranial aneurysms.
• To determine if variations in aortic arch anatomy correlate with the occurrence of brain aneurysms.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of high-resolution computed tomography angiography or digital subtraction angiography scans from 1082 patients.
• Documentation of patient demographics, aortic arch branching patterns, and presence/location/number of intracranial aneurysms.
• Statistical analysis using Fischer exact test to compare aneurysm incidence across different aortic arch variant groups.

Main Results:

• Among 1082 patients, 23% had variant aortic arch branching patterns.
• Aneurysms were present in 8.8% of patients with variant patterns and 79% of patients with normal patterns.
• No statistically significant difference in aneurysm incidence was observed between patients with normal and variant aortic arch branching patterns (p=0.715).

Conclusions:

• This study is the first to examine the association between aortic arch branching patterns and intracranial aneurysm incidence.
• No significant association was found between aortic arch branching patterns and the incidence of intracranial aneurysms.
• Aortic arch anatomy variations do not appear to be a significant risk factor for developing intracranial aneurysms.