Distal aneurysms of basilar perforating and circumferential arteries. Report of three cases.

Distal aneurysms of basilar perforating and circumferential arteries are exceedingly rare. The authors encountered one patient with a distal basilar perforating artery aneurysm and two with aneurysms arising from circumferential branches of the basilar artery (BA). The diagnostic features, microsurgical treatment, and outcomes in these three patients are described. The first patient, a 27-year-old man, presented with an angiogram-negative subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and subsequent readmission for a new hemorrhage revealed a centrally thrombosed aneurysm arising from a basilar apex perforating artery. The second patient, a 68-year-old man, presented for follow-up evaluation 2 months after an angiogram-negative SAH, and an aneurysm was identified on a circumferential artery originating from the BA trunk. The third patient, a 2-year-old boy, presented with blunt head trauma and a pseudoaneurysm arising from a basilar apex circumferential artery. All three aneurysms were managed microsurgically with aneurysm trapping, via either an orbitozygomatic or an extended retrosigmoid approach. Occlusion of the distal perforating or circumferential artery was well tolerated in all cases, with no neurological sequelae resulting from surgery. Features common to all three aneurysms were dolichoectatic morphology, intraluminal thrombus, and SAH. These aneurysms may be difficult to diagnose given their small size and delayed filling on angiographic studies. Consequently, their presence in cases of angiogram-negative SAH may be underestimated. These aneurysms are not amenable to endovascular treatment, but excellent results can be obtained with microsurgical exposure and trapping.