Relationship between Willis circle variation and the occurrence of anterior and posterior communicating artery aneurysms investigated by 64-slice CT angiography / 中国脑血管病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the dysplasia of horizontal segment (A1 segment) of anterior cerebral artery and the formation of anterior and posterior communicating artery aneurysms. Methods: The data of 64-slice computed tomography angiography (CTA) of 216 patients were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 216 patients, CTA found 126 patients with aneurysm. They were divided into anterior communicating artery aneurysm (ACoAA) group (n = 69) and posterior communicating artery aneurysm (PCoAA) group (n = 57 ). The other patients without aneurysm revealed by CTA but with headache and dizziness (n = 90) were used as a control group. The presence or absence of aneurysm, the location, shape, size and neck width of aneurysm, the apex pointing of aneurysm as well as the relationship between the aneurysmal bodies and surrounding structures were analyzed. The prejudged results and the surgical results were compared. Whether the anterior cerebral artery A1 segment had dysplasia or not and whether it had fetal-type posterior cerebral artery or not were observed at the same time. Results: Circled digit oneA total of 126 patients with communicating artery aneurysm were revealed by 64-slice CTA, among them 69 were ACoAA and 57 were PCoAA. Taking DSA and surgery as determining standards, the sensibility and specificity detected by 64-slice CTA were 100%. Circled digit twoUnilateral hypoplasia or absence of A1 segment of anterior cerebral artery reached 81.7% in the ACoAA group, which was significantly higher than that in the PCoAA group or the control group (P < 0.05); fetal-type posterior cerebral artery in the PCoAA group reached 56.1% , which was significantly higher than that in the ACoAA group or the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: 64-slice CTA has higher sensibility and specificity for detecting cerebral aneurysms. Unilateral hypoplasia or absence of A1 segment of anterior cerebral artery and fetal-type posterior cerebral artery are closely associated with the occurrence of intracranial communicating artery aneurysms.