Can sufficient preoperative information of intracranial aneurysms be obtained by using 320-row detector CT angiography alone?

PURPOSE

To determine whether sufficient pre-surgical treatment information of unruptured intracranial aneurysms can be obtained by using 320-row detector CT angiography (CTA) alone.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We enrolled 40 consecutive patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms. All patients were prospectively conducted to perform 320-detector CTA as the only preoperative modality. Two blinded readers independently assessed CTA images. Interobserver agreement and the agreement between CTA and surgical findings were determined by calculating the κ coefficient. The referring neurosurgeons judged the usefulness of the information provided by CTA for treatment decisions.

RESULTS

All patients had surgery without intraarterial digital subtraction angiography. Agreement between CTA and surgical findings was excellent for the aneurysm location (κ = 1.0) and good for the shape (κ = 0.71), neck (κ = 0.74) and its relationship with adjacent branches (κ = 0.71). Information obtained with 320-detector CTA was highly useful for surgical treatment in 37 of 40 (93 %) patients, although small perforators deriving from the aneurysm in 2 cases were not fully visualized on CTA images.

CONCLUSION

In most patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms, sufficient pre-surgical treatment information can be obtained by using 320-detector CTA alone.