Growth-mechanism of giant intracranial aneurysms; demonstration by CT and MR imaging.

In four cases of giant intracranial aneurysm, CT demonstrated a hyperdense open-, or closed-ring structure at the periphery of the aneurysm. Surgery in two of the cases demonstrated that this peripheral hyperdensity represents fresh clot inside the wall of the thrombosed mass. An analogy is established between giant intracranial aneurysms, chronic subdural hematomas and growing encapsulated intracerebral hematomas. The common feature of the three entities is slow growth by recurrent hemorrhages into the lesion. It is proven that growth of chronic subdural hematomas and of growing encapsulated hematomas is related to recurrent hemorrhage from capillaries sprouting within the membrane of the lesion. The highly vascularized membranous wall of a giant intracranial aneurysm seems to behave like the membrane of a chronic subdural hematoma. It is suggested that the giant intracranial aneurysm grows by recurrent hemorrhage into its wall and behaves like growing encapsulated hematomas.