Abstract
Intracranial aneurysms (IA) are often asymptomatic and have a prevalence of 3 to 5% in the adult population. The risk of IA rupture is low, however when it occurs half of the patients dies from subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). To avoid this fatal evolution, the main treatment is an invasive surgical procedure, which is considered to be at high risk of rupture. This risk score of IA rupture is evaluated mainly according to its size and location. Therefore, angiography and anatomic imaging of the intracranial aneurysm are crucial for its diagnosis. Moreover, it has become obvious in recent years that several other factors are implied in this complication, such as the blood flow complexity or inflammation. These recent findings lead to the development of new IA imaging tools such as vessel wall imaging, 4D-MRI, or molecular MRI to visualize inflammation at the site of IA in human and animal models. In this review, we will summarize IA imaging techniques used for the patients and those currently in development.
Highlights
MORPHOLOGICAL IMAGINGImaging is a crucial diagnostic tool for the aneurysm’s detection and characterization
Intracranial aneurysms (IA) are often asymptomatic and have a prevalence of 3 to 5% in the adult population
IA rupture leads to aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) which affects 6 in 100,000 persons per year and leads to death for 27–44% of patients [1, 2]
Summary
Imaging is a crucial diagnostic tool for the aneurysm’s detection and characterization. This MRA method relies on the magnetic properties of circulating blood [17] This allows for the elimination of contrast agents, some artifacts can be observed especially when the blood flow is turbulent or low, which constitute a limiting factor as those flow disturbances are common in large or coiled aneurysms [17, 18]. Its sensitivity and specificity is higher than TOF-MRA regardless of aneurysm size [Sensitivity: MR-IBBVI = 94.5% vs TOF-MRA = 62.7%; specificity: MR-IBBVI = 94.5% vs TOF MRA = 92%; both compared with DSA] [24] All these IA morphology imaging, with their benefits and disadvantages, summarized, have a millimeter spatial resolution which is sufficient for IA detection and morphological characterization and the risk of rupture. The development of such imaging would significantly complement the existing IA rupture risk stratification tools based on IA morphology enabled by current imaging
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
