An Internal Carotid Aneurysm in the Petrous Temproal Bone

A rare but morbid neurosurgical target: petrous aneurysms and their endovascular management in the stent/flow diverter era

“…Historically, they have been an ill-fated finding during surgery for an anticipated ‘glomus tumor’ 4 5 8. A review from 1976 reported only 19 cases in the medical literature, with most managed by carotid ligation or trapping 8.…”

Two stage management of petrositis with associated mycotic aneurysm of the intrapetrous carotid artery

“…Most importantly, intrapetrous carotid aneurysms are at risk of rupturing, possibly resulting in death from exsanguination or severe neurological injury. 3,5 It is therefore essential that the patient is investigated and managed in an urgent, aggressive manner. Unfortunately, patients that develop skull base infections are often debilitated and need a period of stabilisation before any major intervention is considered.…”

“…Haemorrhage from the ear is common. Of the 12 previously reported cases 10 resulted in haemorrhage, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] one of which was fatal. 5 Once diagnosed, therefore, treatment has to be undertaken on an urgent basis.…”

Erosions of the petrous temporal bone

“…Allen (1967), described a patient with deafness and tinnitus, who was thought to have a glomus tumour. The patient reported by Hiranandani et al (1962), presented with intermittent bleeding from the ear and was also thought initially to have a glomus tumour. Carotid angiography revealed an aneurysm in the former case but not in the latter.…”