Rupture of an intracranial aneurysm of the carotid artery with ventricular visualization during angiography.

Rupture of an aneurysm during angiography, with extravasation of blood and contrast medium into the ventricular system occurs rarely. We wish to add one personal observation to those few cases already published. Haemorrhage from an aneurysm of the internal carotid artery recurred during angiography in a 52-year-old comatose man. Through extravasation of blood and contrast medium into the ventricles these became fully visible on the X-ray screen. The question of a direct causal relationship between angiography and rupture of an aneurysm, the frequency and risk of this coincidence and mortality are discussed. Since computerised tomography now precedes angiography in cases of subarachnoid haemorrhage, complications arising from angiography could be reduced by proper timing.