Temporal lobe seizures: unusual presentation of a giant unruptured posterior communicating artery aneurysm

Giant Unruptured Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysm Presenting with Complex Partial Seizure: A Short Review

Intracranial aneurysm is a rare cause of seizure although few cases may develop new onset seizure following rupture of aneurysm. The causes of seizure in ruptured aneurysm may be caused due to presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hematoma, infarct due to progressive vasospasm, worsening of hydrocephalus, or even after surgical craniotomy for clipping of aneurysm. However, incidental aneurysm solely presenting with complex partial seizure is not reported in literature. To the best of knowledge of authors, current case represents the first case as incidental aneurysm presenting with seizure and pertinent literature is briefly reviewed.

Small Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm (≤5 mm) Associated with Epilepsy: Report of 2 Cases and Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Owing to the continuing improvements in imaging technology, an increasing number of epileptogenic small (≤5 mm) unruptured intracranial aneurysms (sUIAs) are being diagnosed. However, these sUIAs have not been systematically described and reviewed until now.

CASE DESCRIPTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW

We report 2 patients with sUIAs who initially presented with complex partial seizures. Scalp electroencephalography identified the seizure activity as arising from the mesial temporal/frontal areas, but conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was normal in both patients. The diagnosis of sUIA was achieved by cerebral angiography. One of the patients had idiopathic seizures and sustained a subarachnoid hemorrhage before the final diagnosis of sUIA. Both of the patients were treated by surgical clipping without resection of the adjacent discolored brain tissue, and the seizures were controlled after surgery. Furthermore, we thoroughly reviewed the relevant literature. We analyzed a total of 5 documented cases, including out 2 cases, and described the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, underlying mechanism, treatment, and prognosis of epileptogenic sUIA.

CONCLUSIONS

The seizures caused by sUIAs are most likely related to subclinical hemorrhages. Angiography may be helpful in identifying seizures associated with sUIA in patients with normal conventional MRI findings. For epileptogenic sUIA with normal preoperative MRI, clipping without damaging the surrounding brain tissue may be sufficient to resolve this complex issue.

Surgical management of giant posterior communicating artery aneurysms

BACKGROUND

Giant posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms (> 25 mm) are rare lesions associated with a poor prognosis and high rates of morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVE

To review the clinical results of giant PCoA aneurysms surgically treated at our institution, focusing on operative nuances.

METHODS

All cases of giant PCoA aneurysms treated surgically at our institution were identified from a prospectively maintained patient database. Patient demographic factors, medical comorbidities, rupture status, neurological presentation, clinical outcomes, and surgical records were critically reviewed.

RESULTS

From 1989 to 2010, 11 patients (10 women) underwent surgical clipping of giant PCoA aneurysms. Presenting signs and symptoms included cranial nerve palsies, diminished mental status, headache, visual changes, and seizures. Five aneurysms were ruptured on admission. All aneurysms were clipped primarily except 1, which was treated by parent artery sacrifice and extracranial-to-intracranial bypass after intraoperative aneurysm rupture. Perioperative morbidity and mortality rates were 36% (4 of 11) and 18.3% (2 of 11), respectively. Excellent or good clinical outcomes, defined as modified Rankin Scale scores ≤ 2, were achieved in 86% (5 of 6) of patients available for long-term clinical follow-up (mean, 12.5 ± 13.6 months).

CONCLUSION

Giant PCoA aneurysms are rare vascular lesions that may present with a variety of neurological signs and symptoms. These lesions can be successfully managed surgically with satisfactory morbidity and mortality rates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest surgical series of giant PCoA aneurysms published to date.