A 67-year-old female with a medical history of hypertension and active smoking presented to the emergency department after experiencing a severe headache of sudden onset in the right side of her head. The patient had undergone elective screening colonoscopy the day prior. The morning following the colonoscopy procedure she woke up experiencing a right-sided headache associated with nausea, right-arm pain, right eye blurry vision, and slight fingertip numbness on her right side after which she decided to come to the hospital. She denied any recent trauma, fever, chills, or neck stiffness. On physical examination, she was neurologically intact.\nNoncontrast head CT demonstrated no acute intracranial pathology, specifically no evidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage. CT angiogram (CTA) demonstrated a 4.2 × 4.2 × 4.2 mm fusiform aneurysm arising off the superior cerebellar artery, approximately 1.5 cm distal to its origin off the basilar artery. The headache subsided the following day. Diagnostic cerebral angiogram was performed and redemonstrated the fusiform aneurysm, essentially unchanged in appearance when compared to the CTA []. The patient was started on dual antiplatelet agents consisting of clopidogrel 75 mg daily and aspirin 325 mg daily. One week later, the patient underwent successful Pipeline embolization of the aneurysm []. Briefly, a 6-Fr sheath was inserted into the right common femoral artery and a 6-Fr Benchmark guide catheter (penumbra) advanced over a diagnostic catheter and glide wire into the right vertebral artery. Through the guide catheter, a Phenom Plus distal access catheter was advanced over a Phenom microcatheter and Synchro-2 microwire into the proximal basilar artery. The microcatheter was then advanced over the microwire into the right superior cerebellar artery distal to the aneurysm. A 2.5 mm wide and 10 mm length Pipeline embolization device was then deployed along the fusiform aneurysm. Postdeployment angiogram demonstrated excellent apposition of the device to the parent vessel and evidence of some contrast stagnation within the aneurysm.\nThe patient was neurologically intact postoperatively and was discharged home on postoperative day 2. A cerebral angiogram performed 6 months later demonstrated resolution of the aneurysm with patency of the superior cerebellar artery []. The patient had no complaints and was neurologically intact.
A 42-year-old man with no past significant medical illness presented with headache. CT scan done showed subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) predominantly in the perimesencephalic cisterns []. Magnetic resonance imaging T1 gradient sequence also showed the hypointense signal suggestive of blood products in the perimesencephalic cisterns []. Fetal posterior cerebral arteries are seen on both the sides arising from the internal carotid artery [Figures and ]. DSA (digital subtraction angiogram) done subsequently revealed fusiform bulbous dilation involving both the cisternal and cortical segments of the left SCA []. Endovascular treatment in the form of parent artery occlusion was done under general anesthesia, with complete exclusion of the aneurysm from the circulation as seen on post-coiling angiogram []. Standard heparin protocol was followed and activated clotting time greater than 250 s was maintained during the procedure. Six-French (6F) Envoy (cordis) guiding catheter was placed in the distal vertebral artery. A combination of echelon-10 microcatheter (ev3) and transcend 0.014 microwire (Stryker) were used to access the aneurysms. Multiple Axium (ev3) coils were used to occlude the aneurysm. There were no intra- and periprocedural complications and patient was discharged on the 5th day after operation. The post-operative course was uneventful. The patient's neurological examination after 1 month was completely normal. Control angiogram done after 1 year showed stable occlusion of the aneurysm with endovascular coil in place [].