Rupture of intracranial aneurysms during angiography and CT: coincidental or causal event? A case report

The rare event of rupture of a saccular aneurysm of the internal carotid artery during cerebral angiography and of a fusiform aneurysm of the basilar artery following contrast enhanced CT are reported. Whereas some angiographic findings point at a causal relationship between rupture of the aneurysm and the examination procedure itself, this relationship between possible contrast medium effects and rupture of the basilar artery aneurysm during CT remains uncertain. Possible mechanisms are discussed.