Ruptured anterior spinal artery aneurysm: repair via a posterior approach.

A case of aneurysm at the junction of the vertebrospinal and anterior spinal arteries at the level of C-1 is presented. There was severe intracranial subarachnoid hemorrhage with subsequent right hemiplegia and 6th nerve palsies. Angiograms showed an anomalous arrangement of the arteries, but no arteriovenous malformation was seen. The lesion was repaired via a posterior approach. Anatomical and technical considerations of this approach are discussed. A review of the pertinent literature is presented.