A 39 year-old male without past notable medical history was admitted with a sudden headache and neck stiffness. Brain computed tomography (CT) demonstrated evidence of Fisher Grade III subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) predominance of the pre-pontine, left ambient and quadrigeminal cistern (), and a fusiform aneurysm of a left distal SCA was revealed on the CT angiography (). Subsequent digital subtraction angiography (DSA) revealed the fusiform dilatation (12 mm length; 4.5 mm width) involving the ambient segment of the left distal SCA. The left SCA was duplicated ahead of the aneurysm and there was sufficient collateral circulation from the ipsilateral anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) and posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) (). The aneurysm was treated by endovascular occlusion of the aneurysm sac and the involved branch. Under general anesthesia an Excelsior SL-10 microcatheter was used to access the aneurysm. Seven detachable platinum coils were used to obliterate the lesion. Post-procedural angiography showed complete occlusion of the aneurysm sac and involved the SCA branch (). There was no immediate complication after embolization. Diffusion MRI was done 8 hours after embolization. MRI revealed scattered high signal change on the left posterior tegmentum, superior vermis, and superior part of the left cerebellum (). Left sixth nerve palsy occurred in the patient 1 day after EVT. The symptom completely recovered within 1 week of the post-procedural period. No neurological deficit was seen during the clinical 3-month follow-up.
A 70-year-old woman with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and a history of smoking presented with a peripheral fusiform SCA aneurysm found incidentally during a routine MRI investigation due to “black out” symptoms. The aneurysm was located 2 cm from the SCA origin, and measured 7 mm in maximal diameter [Figure and ]. After a thorough discussion of treatment options, the patient elected to undergo a combined subtemporal, presigmoidal approach. On the lateral aspect of the brainstem, the aneurysm was exposed along with the parent artery and two major efferent branches. One of these branches, the largest one, was superiorly directed and a double, smaller branch, presented inferiorly around the aneurysm fundus. It was necessary during microsurgical dissection to detach the aneurysm dome from the tentorial undersurface as well as from the 4th cranial nerve. Multiple clips were used to reconstruct the aneurysm without intra-operative complication. Intra-operative angiogram confirmed reconstruction of the fusiform aneurysm with preservation of distal flow [Figure –]. The patient tolerated the procedure well and was extubated and returned to the intensive care unit in stable condition. She was discharged home on the fourth post-operative day without new deficit.