Traumatic aneurysm at the superior cerebellar artery: illustrative case

Abstract

BACKGROUND Traumatic aneurysms at the superior cerebellar arteries after head injury are extremely rare and may be overlooked. Rupture of these aneurysms can cause fatal intracranial hemorrhages; thus, early identification of the entity helps prevent detrimental outcomes. OBSERVATIONS A patient suffered from sudden severe headache and decreased consciousness level several weeks after a blunt head injury. He received surgery to remove a progressive enlarging subdural hematoma. The diagnosis of a traumatic aneurysm at the superior cerebellar artery was delayed, made only after a recurrent subdural hemorrhage occurred. He received another surgery to obliterate the aneurysm. LESSONS The patient could have been treated earlier if traumatic aneurysm had been suspected in the beginning. In addition to the case, the authors also reviewed the literature to clarify the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of the disease.

A Case of Ruptured Carotid Traumatic Blood Blister-like Aneurysm

“…Traumatic intracranial aneurysms differ from nontraumatic intracranial aneurysms in terms of angiographic fea-tures, with the neck of the aneurysm often being indistinct and the aneurysm being irregularly shaped. 8,9) There has only been one report of a BBA due to trauma in a child, as described by Haji et al, 4) and none in an adult. In that report, a head CT scan showed SAH and a tBBA from the initial examination as in the present case, and the aneurysm was noted to enlarge over a short period of time.…”