Intracranial aneurysm following radiation therapy during childhood for a brain tumor. Case report and review of the literature.
Ionizing radiation therapy is associated with pathological vascular changes in intracranial vessels, most commonly in the form of vessel thrombosis and occlusion. The development of an intracranial aneurysm following such therapy, however, is far less common. In this report the authors describe a 24-year-old man in whom a distal middle cerebral artery aneurysm developed 15 years after radiotherapy, which was given as adjuvant treatment following resection of a medulloblastoma. The patient underwent a craniotomy for microsurgical trapping of the aneurysm and was discharged without any neurological deficit. This case serves to remind clinicians of the possibility, albeit rare, that intracranial aneurysms may form following cranial radiotherapy.
Sciubba
Daniel M
DM
Department of Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
Gallia
Gary L
GL
Recinos
Pablo
P
Garonzik
Ira M
IM
Clatterbuck
Richard E
RE
D000328:Adult; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*