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Published on: August 11, 2015
Basilar Artery Perforator Aneurysms: A Single-Center Experience with Conservative Management
Alejandro Venegas1, Keren Zambrano1, Mario Echeverria1
1Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Instituto de Neurocirugía Dr. Alfonso Asenjo, Santiago, Chile.
Objective:
Basilar artery perforating aneurysms (BAPAs) represent an infrequent clinical finding, typically manifesting as subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Consensus on the optimal management of this rare entity is lacking. We report a single-center case series of 11 patients diagnosed with BAPAs, providing a detailed description of their clinical presentation, management course, and follow-up.
Methods:
A retrospective review of our institutional aneurysm database was performed, encompassing cases treated between January 2008 and 2024. Inclusion criteria required aneurysm localization to the middle or upper 3rd of the basilar artery.
Results:
All cases presented with diffuse SAH, with 80% exhibiting a perimesencephalic cisternal bleeding pattern. Notably, in most cases, aneurysms were detected upon repeat angiography, performed approximately 10 days after the initial angiographic study. A conservative management strategy was employed, resulting in spontaneous aneurysm exclusion in 80% of the cohort. No instances of rebleeding were observed during the follow-up period.
Conclusion:
Conservative management demonstrated favorable functional outcomes in our case series, marked by a high rate of spontaneous thrombosis. These findings suggest that conservative management is an effective and potentially preferred treatment strategy for this rare pathology, mitigating perioperative risks associated with surgical or endovascular interventions.
