title: Natural history and management of basilar trunk artery aneurysms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Basilar trunk aneurysms (BTAs), defined as aneurysms distal to the basilar origin and proximal to the origin of the superior cerebellar artery, are rare and challenging to manage. We describe the natural history and management in a consecutive series of BTAs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2000 and 2013, 2522 patients with 3238 aneurysms were referred to our institution for aneurysm management. A retrospective review of this database was conducted to identify all patients with BTAs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 52 patients had a BTA. Mean age was 56 (SD±18) years. Median clinical follow-up was 33 (interquartile range, 8-86) months, and imaging follow-up was 26 (interquartile range, 2-80.5) months. BTAs were classified into 4 causal subtypes: acute dissecting aneurysms, segmental fusiform ectasia, mural bleeding ectasia, and saccular aneurysms. Multiple aneurysms were more frequently noticed among the 13 saccular aneurysms when compared with overall population (P=0.021). There was preponderance of segmental ectasia or mural bleeding ectasia (P=0.045) in patients presenting with transit ischemic attack/stroke or mass effect. Six patients with segmental and 4 with mural bleeding ectasia demonstrated increasing size of their aneurysm, with 2 having subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by aneurysm rupture. None of the fusiform aneurysms that remained stable bled.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BTAs natural histories may differ depending on subtype of aneurysm. Saccular aneurysms likely represent an underlying predisposition to aneurysm development because more than half of these cases were associated with multiple intracranial aneurysms. Intervention should be considered in segmental ectasia and chronic dissecting aneurysms, which demonstrate increase in size over time as there is an increased risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France (G.S.); and Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging (G.S., R.H.S., S.P., A.K., R.A.W., K.G.t., S.R., T.K.) and Division of Neurosurgery (M.T.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. guillaume.saliou@bct.aphp.fr.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Saliou
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France (G.S.); and Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging (G.S., R.H.S., S.P., A.K., R.A.W., K.G.t., S.R., T.K.) and Division of Neurosurgery (M.T.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Raphael H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Sacho
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France (G.S.); and Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging (G.S., R.H.S., S.P., A.K., R.A.W., K.G.t., S.R., T.K.) and Division of Neurosurgery (M.T.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Power
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France (G.S.); and Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging (G.S., R.H.S., S.P., A.K., R.A.W., K.G.t., S.R., T.K.) and Division of Neurosurgery (M.T.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kostynskyy
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France (G.S.); and Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging (G.S., R.H.S., S.P., A.K., R.A.W., K.G.t., S.R., T.K.) and Division of Neurosurgery (M.T.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Willinsky
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France (G.S.); and Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging (G.S., R.H.S., S.P., A.K., R.A.W., K.G.t., S.R., T.K.) and Division of Neurosurgery (M.T.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tymianski
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France (G.S.); and Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging (G.S., R.H.S., S.P., A.K., R.A.W., K.G.t., S.R., T.K.) and Division of Neurosurgery (M.T.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Karel G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: terBrugge
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France (G.S.); and Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging (G.S., R.H.S., S.P., A.K., R.A.W., K.G.t., S.R., T.K.) and Division of Neurosurgery (M.T.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sapna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rawal
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France (G.S.); and Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging (G.S., R.H.S., S.P., A.K., R.A.W., K.G.t., S.R., T.K.) and Division of Neurosurgery (M.T.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krings
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000473:pathology*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D018450:Disease Progression; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000145:classification* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: dissecting aneurysm; fusiform aneurysm; saccular aneurysm