Risk Factors for Formation of Multiple Intracranial Aneurysms

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We report the correlation between known risk factors for cerebrovascular disease and formation of multiple intracranial aneurysms. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records and outcomes of 524 patients who had undergone aneurysmal operation at our hospital between January 1996 and May 2001. Of 524 patients who had undergone operations with intracranial aneurysm, 130 patients had multiple intracranial aneurysms. The authors examined the correlations between the risk factors(patient age, sex, menopausal state of female patients, hypertension, cigarette smoking) and the presence of multiple intracranial aneurysms by using chi-square test retrospectively. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was about 1 : 2.05(male : female=129 : 265) for patients with single intracranial aneurysm, and male to female was about 1 : 3.06(male : female=32 : 98) for patients with multiple intracranial aneurysms. Among 256 female patients with single intracranial aneurysm, 182 patients(68.9%) were postmenopausal, and, among 98 female patients with multiple intracranial aneurysms, 81 patients(82.6%) were postmenopausal. The mean age of the patients with single intracranial aneurysm was 54 years, and, with multiple intracranial aneurysms, the mean age was 57.8 years. The presence of hypertension was found in 149 patients(37.8%) with single intracranial aneurysm, and, in 55 patinets (42.3%) with multiple intracranial aneurysms. Cigarette smoking was found in 116 patients(29.4%) with single intracranial aneurysm and 47 patients(36.1%) with multiple intracranial aneurysms. CONCLUSION: There is a significant correlation between menopausal state of female patients and presence of multiple intracranial aneurysms. However, gender, hypertension and smoking are not related to multiple intracranial aneurysms.