Objective: To assess the frequency of ruptures of very small cerebral aneurysms, features of the perioperative period and outcomes, in comparison with the rupture of ordinarily sized aneurysms.Material and methods: A comparative analysis of the group of patients with ruptured cerebral miliary aneurysms (n = 18) and the group of patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms of regular size (n = 308) was carried out. All patients underwent open surgery in the first 3 days after the rupture (osteoplastic craniotomy, microsurgical aneurysm clipping). We compared gender, age of patients, severity of the patient’s condition at the moment of admission, severity of subarachnoid hemorrhage, location of aneurysms, aspect ratio, duration of the operation, frequency of intraoperative ruptures, postoperative mortality.Results: It was found that miliary aneurysm rupture occurs in 5.5% of all patients with cerebral aneurysm rupture. The most common cases of rupture of very small aneurysms were in women (77.7%), with a mean age of 50.8 years. Aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery (66.6%) with a narrow neck (average aspect ratio – 2.1) were the most common. Patients with rupture of very small aneurysms were 7.9% more likely to be admitted in a state of subcompensation or decompensation (Hunt-Hess IV–V), they had massive subarachnoid hemorrhage (Fisher III) 19.6% more often than with ruptured aneurysms of regular size. On average, operations in cases of very small aneurysms lasted 30 minutes less than clipping of ordinary aneurysms, but were complicated by intraoperative rupture twice as often (38.8% and 16.5%, respectively). Postoperative mortality in the group of patients with ruptured miliary aneurysms was 5.7% higher than in patients with ruptured aneurysms of regular size.Conclusion: Rupture of cerebral miliary aneurysms is relatively rare. Women of 50–60 years old with very small aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery with a narrow neck constitute the main group of such patients. Massive subarachnoid hemorrhage and severe condition of patients on admission are more common with miliary aneurysms than with ordinarily sized aneurysms. The small size of the aneurysm and the work near the rupture determine the more frequent contact intraoperative rupture when the neck is exposed as compared to operations on larger aneurysms, which negatively affects the treatment outcomes in this group of patients.

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Introduction. Central nervous system is one of the main targets in patients with HIV infection. Neurological complications in AIDS are primarily caused by opportunistic brain infections including toxoplasmosis as the most common one. Patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis are often hospitalized with diagnosed strokes, tumors, or encephalitis. At that, their HIV status may be unknown and their state severity often does not allow conducting the range of required examinations. Materials and methods. We have described our experience in management of 6 patients admitted to the neurosurgery department with single toxoplasmosis foci and diagnosed brain tumors. Results. HIV infection was initially known in 3 patients only. In 2 compensated patients, the diagnosis was confirmed via Toxoplasma IgG blood test. In 2 individuals, negative serological Toxoplasma reactions were followed by neuronavigationally controlled biopsies. A patient with an extensive perifocal edema and, as a result, dislocated midline structures underwent decompressive craniectomy and mass removal. One female patient, with an unclear diagnosis, was operated for a suspected brain tumor. After additional assessments (including 4 histologies to confirm cerebral toxoplasmosis), all the patients were transferred to the infectious disease hospital for specific treatment.

The article describes a clinical case of a dissecting basilar artery aneurysm in a patient with SARS-CoV-2. The patient was treated in the infectious diseases hospital for bilateral polysegmental pneumonia on the background of COVID-19. Suddenly, a focal neurological deficit occurred and grew in dynamics in the form of abducens nerve paresis, bulbar disorders, and right-sided hemiparesis. MSCT and MSCT-angiography were performed in dynamics. During the first examination, the pathology of the cerebral vessels was not revealed, but 10 days later, there was detected a fusiform aneurysm of the basilar artery with a diverticulum, the rupture of which led to massive hemorrhage and an unfavorable treatment outcome. The patient's primary symptomatology could be due to impaired blood flow in the perforating branches in the area of the started dissection of the basilar artery.