Cerebral aneurysms in children: are we talking about a single pathological entity?

PURPOSE

The objective of this article is to highlight the fact that cerebral aneurysms in children are heterogeneous unlike in the adult population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a retrospective review of 17 children with intracranial aneurysms who were managed at a single institution from 2004 to 2009.

RESULTS

The median age was 12 years (range 10 months-17 years). Sixty-five percent of the aneurysms were saccular and 24% were fusiform. There was one infectious and one distal lenticulostriate aneurysm. Patients with saccular aneurysms were predominantly male and presented more commonly with intracranial hemorrhage (91%). The fusiform aneurysms were dissecting in nature or chronic with intramural thrombus and mass effect. The treatment was dependent upon the type and location of the aneurysm.

CONCLUSION

Pedriatic aneurysms are a heterogeneous group of intracranial arterial diseases with different etiologies, diverse morphology, and dissimilar clinical manifestations.