Cerebral arterial ectasia and tuberous sclerosis: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE

Tuberous sclerosis is associated with a wide variety of central nervous system abnormalities. Cerebrovascular anomalies are extremely rare, but a case of cerebral arterial ectasia and giant fusiform aneurysm formation in a young child is reported.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

A 5-month-old male patient with tuberous sclerosis presented with seizures, a subependymal tumor, and intraventricular hemorrhage. Cerebral angiography demonstrated a large fusiform aneurysm of the left cavernous internal carotid artery as well as arterial ectasia of the proximal left anterior cerebral and middle cerebral arteries. The patient developed hydrocephalus and died of infectious complications after repeated shunt procedures.

CONCLUSION

Tuberous sclerosis is commonly associated with central nervous system lesions. Although rare, cerebrovascular anomalies and aneurysms should be considered in the differential diagnosis of mass lesions to avoid an ill-advised biopsy of a vascular lesion, which could have disastrous consequences.