Intracranial aneurysms: a clinical, angiographic and computerized tomographic study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Radiology
• Neurosurgery

Background:

• Cerebral aneurysms pose significant risks, including subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• Accurate diagnosis and monitoring are crucial for patient management.
• Evaluating the utility of CT scans alongside angiography in aneurysm cases is important.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the diagnostic value of CT scans in patients with cerebral aneurysms.
• To determine the correlation between CT findings and angiographic results.
• To evaluate the role of CT in identifying complications and predicting outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 102 CT scans and 136 angiograms from 56 patients with 63 aneurysms.
• Correlation of CT findings (aneurysm visualization, hemorrhage, hematoma, edema, hydrocephalus) with angiographic data.
• Assessment of neurological grades and survival rates in relation to imaging findings.

Main Results:

• Aneurysms were visualized on CT in 5 patients.
• CT findings of subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hematomas tended to correlate with aneurysm location on angiography.
• CT effectively demonstrated hydrocephalus evolution and differentiated hematoma from edema.
• Normal CT scans were associated with better neurological grades.
• No significant correlation was found between specific angiographic or CT features and survival.

Conclusions:

• CT scans can aid in visualizing cerebral aneurysms and associated complications.
• CT findings correlate with angiographic localization of aneurysms and can track hydrocephalus progression.
• While CT is valuable for assessing complications, it did not predict survival in this cohort.