Age and morphology of posterior communicating artery aneurysms

Abstract

Risk of intracranial aneurysm rupture could be affected by geometric features of intracranial aneurysms and the surrounding vasculature in a location specific manner. Our goal is to investigate the morphological characteristics associated with ruptured posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms, as well as patient factors associated with the morphological parameters. Three-dimensional morphological parameters in 409 patients with 432 PCoA aneurysms diagnosed at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital between 1990 and 2016 who had available CT angiography (CTA) or digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were evaluated. Morphological parameters examined included aneurysm wall irregularity, presence of a daughter dome, presence of hypoplastic or aplastic A1 arteries and hypoplastic or fetal PCoA, perpendicular height, width, neck diameter, aspect and size ratio, height/width ratio, and diameters and angles of surrounding parent and daughter vessels. Univariable and multivariable statistical analyses were performed to determine the association of morphological parameters with rupture of PCoA aneurysms. Additional analyses were performed to determine the association of patient factors with the morphological parameters. Irregular, multilobed PCoA aneurysms with larger height/width ratios and larger flow angles were associated with ruptured PCoA aneurysms, whereas perpendicular height was inversely associated with rupture in a multivariable model. Older age was associated with lower aspect ratio, with a trend towards lower height/width ratio and smaller flow angle, features that are associated with a lower rupture risk. Morphological parameters are easy to assess and could help in risk stratification in patients with unruptured PCoA aneurysms. PCoA aneurysms diagnosed at older age have morphological features associated with lower risk.