Cerebral Catheter Angiography Findings in Adult Filipinos: A Quantitative Study of Intracranial Vessel Diameters and Flow Patterns.

Introduction Cerebral catheter angiography is crucial for cerebrovascular disorder diagnosis, but local normative data on intracranial vessel characteristics in healthy Filipino adults are lacking. Individual variations in Circle of Willis components highlight the need for establishing Filipino-specific vessel size norms to aid diagnosis and neurosurgical planning. Methods This retrospective study analyzed 73 cerebral catheter angiograms from 1099 patients at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (2015-2021). Patients with known vascular pathologies or under 18 were excluded; 222 angiograms were further excluded for atherosclerosis/vasospasm. Mean, standard deviation, and 95% confidence intervals were computed for vessel diameters. Normality (Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk) and laterality differences (Levene's, t-tests) were assessed. Anterior cerebral artery (ACA) flow patterns and transverse sinus dominance were reported as percentages. All analyses used IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (IBM Corp., Version 22.0, Armonk, NY). Results Normal intracranial vessel diameter ranges (mm) were as follows: internal carotid artery (ICA) supraclinoid (3.37-3.74), middle cerebral artery (MCA) M1 (2.54-2.74), MCA M2 superior (1.83-1.99), MCA M2 inferior (1.79-1.96), posterior cerebral artery (PCA) (1.82-2.00), superior cerebellar artery (SCA) (1.22-1.34), posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) (1.46-1.66), vertebral artery (2.99-3.38), basilar artery (3.14-3.45). Significant laterality differences (mm) were found for ACA A1: right (1.87-2.01), left (1.93-2.20); posterior communicating artery (PCOM): right (1.69-1.78), left (1.57-1.98); and transverse sinus: right (6.68-7.90), left (5.14-6.11). Anterior cerebral flow was 53.4% symmetrical (23.3% right-dominant, 23.3% left-dominant). Right transverse sinus dominance was 56.2%, symmetrical inn 28.8%, and left-dominant in 15.1%. Fetal PCOM was 29%. Conclusion This study presents the first comprehensive normal intracranial vessel sizes for adult Filipinos. Filipino vessel diameters are notably smaller than international reports, likely due to ethnicity and measurement methodology. These data serve as a vital reference for managing Filipino patients where vessel size dictates therapeutic, prognostic, and diagnostic decisions. Observed arterial flow patterns and sinus dominance also differ from Western studies, offering further aid in Filipino patient care.