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Updated: May 28, 2026

A Murine Model of Carotid Aneurysm Formation
03:47

A Murine Model of Carotid Aneurysm Formation

Published on: September 9, 2025

Chapter 1: The Natural History of Intracranial Aneurysms

Paolo Palmisciano1, Mario Zuccarello2,3

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.

Brain Sciences
|May 27, 2026
PubMed

Intracranial aneurysms are common vascular lesions with a highly variable natural history. While most unruptured intracranial aneurysms remain stable throughout life, a biologically aggressive subset progresses to growth and rupture, resulting in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage with substantial morbidity and mortality. Contemporary evidence demonstrates that aneurysm behavior is dynamic rather than static and reflects the interaction of hemodynamic forces, inflammatory vascular remodeling, genetic susceptibility, and environmental risk factors. Rupture risk is not constant over time and may be highest early after aneurysm formation, followed by a period of relative quiescence in selected lesions. Traditional population-based risk estimates have therefore evolved toward individualized risk stratification incorporating aneurysm size, location, morphology, growth, patient-specific factors, and emerging imaging and computational biomarkers. This chapter reviews the epidemiology, pathobiology, growth patterns, and rupture risk of intracranial aneurysms, integrating foundational observational studies with recent advances in genetics, vessel wall imaging, and predictive modeling. Understanding the natural history of brain aneurysms is essential for balancing the risks of observation against intervention and for guiding future innovations in aneurysm management.

Keywords:
aneurysm growthfamilial intracranial aneurysmintracranial aneurysmsnatural history of brain aneurysmssubarachnoid hemorrhagevessel wall imaging

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