[Our experience in the diagnosis and treatment of cerebral pseudoaneurysms]. / Nuestra experiencia en el diagnóstico y tratamiento de los seudoaneurismas cerebrales.

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience in the diagnosis and intravascular treatment of cerebral pseudoaneurysms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We present 11 pseudoaneurysms (2 traumatic, 2 mycotic, 3 iatrogenic, and 4 with other causes). We analyze the methods and diagnostic criteria, radiological and clinical outcome, the criteria used in making decisions about treatment, the method of treatment, and the complications. RESULTS: Digital subtraction angiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of cerebral pseudoaneurysms; the diagnostic criteria in the literature include: aneurysms with early morphological changes and distal aneurysms or proximal aneurysms associated with another distal one, in the context of the right symptoms and signs. In the nine patients treated with endovascular techniques, the treatment objective was achieved and rebleeding did not occur. CONCLUSIONS: In cases with clinical suspicion of a pseudoaneurysm, the patient should undergo angiography. This is especially important in patients with inexplicable cerebral hemorrhage and in those with septicemia. CT angiography and MR angiography have good diagnostic accuracy and can replace conventional angiography. However, the treatment of choice is endovascular and treatment should not be delayed unless access to the pseudoaneurysm is impeded, usually due to severe cerebral vasospasm.

Combined surgery and embolization to treat ruptured cerebral aneurysms with cerebral hematoma and intracranial hypertension: a retrospective analysis and review of the literature. / Tratamiento combinado, mediante embolización y cirugía, de los aneurismas cerebrales rotos con hematoma cerebral e hipertensión intracraneal: Análisis retrospectivo y revisión de la bibliografía.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the urgent embolization of a cerebral aneurysms and posterior surgery on cerebral hematomas is safe and efficacious in patients with hematomas and signs of intracranial hypertension due to the rupture of cerebral aneurysms. METHODS: We included 23 consecutive patients in poor clinical condition due to an intracranial hematoma caused by a ruptured cerebral aneurysm who were treated with both embolization and surgery within 4hours of the onset of symptoms. All patients had clinical signs of intracranial hypertension and / or altered levels of consciousness, including coma due to rostrocaudal deterioration. We evaluated the efficacy of the combined technique by determining the degree of closure of the aneurysms and the patients' prognosis one month after the procedures; we evaluated safety by analyzing the complications of the treatments. RESULTS: All but two of the patients (21/23; 91.3%) had an aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery. All patients scored 4 on the Fisher scale and were classified as Hunt and Hess IV or V. The mean time from the identification of the aneurysm on computed tomography to embolization was 115minutes. A balloon remodeling technique was used in 18 (78%) patients; embolization achieved adequate closure in 19 (82.6%) patients. During surgery, a ventricular drain was placed in 9 (39.1%) patients. One month after treatment, 13 (56.5%) patients were functionally independent and 3 (13%) had died. No episodes of rebleeding were observed. CONCLUSION: In our experience, combined treatment including embolization of the aneurysm and surgical decompression with evacuation of the hematoma is a safe and effective alternative to surgical treatment alone.