Conservative Management and Natural History of Ruptured Basilar Perforator Artery Aneurysms: Two Cases and Literature Review

Nathan A. Shlobin, Donald R. Cantrell, Sameer A. Ansari, Michael C. Hurley, Ali Shaibani, Babak S. Jahromi, Matthew B. Potts*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Basilar perforator aneurysms are rare causes of subarachnoid hemorrhage and their natural history is poorly characterized. Although various treatment strategies have been reported, conservative management is an option that has been associated with a high likelihood of spontaneous resolution. Case Description: Here we present 2 cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage, 1 diffuse and the other perimesencephalic, due to small ruptured basilar perforator artery aneurysms. These aneurysms were only identified after repeat angiography. Conservative management with serial imaging was pursued. Both patients did well clinically and repeat imaging demonstrated spontaneous resolution of the ruptured aneurysms. We also provide a literature review of ruptured basilar perforator aneurysms, showing a ~10% re-rupture rate within the early post-rupture period but otherwise a high rate of spontaneous resolution. Conclusions: Although basilar perforator aneurysms can re-rupture, there is also a high likelihood of spontaneous resolution. Given the challenges of treatment, conservative management is an option that can be considered.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)218-222
Number of pages5
JournalWorld neurosurgery
Volume138
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2020

Keywords

  • Aneurysm
  • Basilar perforator artery
  • Conservative management
  • Observation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Clinical Neurology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Conservative Management and Natural History of Ruptured Basilar Perforator Artery Aneurysms: Two Cases and Literature Review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this