Pericallosal Artery Aneurysm: systematic review

Abstract

Background: Pericallosal artery aneurysms, from A2 to A5 segments of anterior cerebral artery, are uncommon (literature states 2.3-9.2% of brain aneurysms). They have a high mortality rate and tend to rupture easily during exposure. This study was done with the intention of pointing out the described presentations of pericallosal artery aneurysms. Materials and Methods: A systematic review related to pericallosal artery aneurysm was performed in the PubMed, MedLine (Ebsco), LILACS and Scielo databases, using as keywords: “pericallosal artery”, “distal anterior cerebral artery” and “aneurysm”. Results: Pericallosal artery aneurysms are present mainly in patients over 50 years of age (2.1:1 female to male). In younger patients (less than 20 years old) the seizure is the most frequent symptom, while in adults (20-59 years old) it is the thunderclap headache. They commonly present with Hunt & Hess Grade (HH) II. However, 69% presented subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), presenting mainly with Fisher 4, which increases the chance of vasospasms. Conclusion: Thus, although the distal anterior cerebral artery (pericallosal) aneurysms display common symptoms, they usually have severe bleeding. Nonetheless, more studies are needed to analyze the epidemiological, demographic and clinical aspects of the pericallosal artery aneurysms