[A case report: persistent primitive hypoglossal artery aneurysm].

The authors describe a case of persistent primitive hypoglossal artery aneurysm in a 42-year-old woman who had complained of headache, mainly in the occiput, for 5 days prior to admission. Because of a sudden exacerbation of the headache associated with vomiting, she was hospitalized on July 31, 1988. On admission, a cranial computed tomography scan demonstrated a high density lesion in the basal cisterns which suggested subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Right carotid angiography revealed a persistent primitive hypoglossal artery and an aneurysm arising from this artery at the junction of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. Bilateral vertebral arteries were shown to be hypoplastic. This was followed by a right suboccipital craniectomy on the 6th hospital day at which time a neck clipping was made. Her postoperative course was uneventful. On discharge on August 22, she was ambulatory and had no neurological deficit except for a mild hoarseness which developed after surgery. Well over one hundred cases of persistent primitive hypoglossal artery aneurysm have been reported. However, as far as we could discern, there have been only 9 cases of persistent primitive hypoglossal artery aneurysm including this present case. Most of the cases had SAH due to the rupture of these aneurysms with favorable outcome after the surgery. In addition, some embryological considerations were made.