[Direct surgical obliteration of a persistent trigeminal artery aneurysm]

A successful case of ruptured aneurysm of the persistent trigeminal artery (PTA) treated with direct operation is reported. Only 14 cases out of ever-reported 400 cases with persistent trigeminal artery have aneurysms developing from PTA itself or its junction. These aneurysms originate most frequently from the trunk portion of the PTA. In our case, aneurysms are found at the rt. internal carotid-PTA junction and the rt. IC-PC junction. Six out of 14 are associated with another intracranial aneurysms, indicating high multiplicity. Of 14 cases, only 2 including our case are treated by direct surgery. Since the internal carotid-PTA junction aneurysm is located in the cavernous sinus, special consideration is needed during the operation. Surgical keypoints in opening the cavernous sinus under normothermia and getting the landmark for orientation are described.