The incidence of berry aneurysm in the Iranian population: an autopsy study.

Intracranial berry aneurysms are the most common kind of aneurysms in the brain, and are caused by head trauma in 1% of cases. They may remain asymptomatic for a long time or may rupture and cause intracranial hemorrhage. These aneurysms are associated with a high mortality rate. A definitive diagnosis can be made by angiography or autopsy. We studied the cadavers of 425 people who passed away accidentally. The number and location of berry aneurysms were recorded. Twelve cases (2.82%) were found to have a single berry aneurysm and two (0.47%) had multiple aneurysms. The aneurysms had a tendency to occur in the frontal half of the Circle of Willis and in approximation of the bifurcation of arteries. The main characteristics of cases of berry aneurysm in the Iranian population were in agreement with that reported in previous Western studies.