A Rare Case of Spontaneous True Aneurysm of the Occipital Artery

Abstract

J Korean Neurosurg Soc 47 : [310][311][312] 2010 A 51-year-old man presented with a pulsatile scalp mass over the right occipital region, which had increased in size over the previous 1 month. He had no previous history of head trauma. Three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) angiography of the brain revealed a 3.0 × 1.5 cm occipital artery aneurysm arising from the occipital artery. The occipital artery aneurysm was removed following the ligation of the proximal and distal portion of the occipital artery aneurysm. The histological diagnosis was true aneurysm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the literature.

Clinical importance of the occipital artery in vascular lesions: A review of the literature

“…Other non-invasive imaging by computed tomography angiography (CTA), ultrasound (US) or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) can be used as a screening tool. 59,62 OA aneurysms have been approached by surgical excision, endovascular methods, percutaneous USguided thrombosis, direct manual compression and observation, among which surgical resection is the most commonly reported treatment. 63 In addition, when OA aneurysms are located in the first and second segments, transcatheter arterial embolisation provides a more effective means of treatment.…”

“…58 Pseudoaneurysm is often caused by blunt traumatic compression of the OA and is the result of OA wall rupture, with all layers of the artery focally absent. 59 True aneurysm is defined by the presence of a defect in the internal elastic lamina that leads to dilatation of the intima, media and adventitia, creating a lumen. This type of lesion can occur secondary to infection and autoimmune disease, or it can arise from congenital defects of the elastic membrane.…”

“…Other non-invasive imaging by computed tomography angiography (CTA), ultrasound (US) or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) can be used as a screening tool. 59,62…”

True aneurysm of the proximal occipital artery: Case report

“…Spontaneous, true aneurysms of the occipital artery are extremely rare [ [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] ]. They may be associated with neurofibromatosis or diseases of connective tissue [ 2 ] and occipital bone defects [ 3 , 7 ].…”

Occipital Artery Pseudoaneurysm: A Rare Scalp Swelling

“…Aneurysms of the distal branches of the external carotid artery are rare events and are generally described as sequelae of blunt, penetrating, or iatrogenic trauma. Traumatic aneurysms usually develop 2-6 weeks after blunt head trauma [3]. The diagnosis is based on the history and clinical examination.…”