04 Jul Cerebral Aneurysms : Natural History of Asymptomatic Lesions Using CTA

MedicalResearch.com Interview with

Dr. Juan Pablo Villablanca, MD
Director, Neuroradiology
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica

The Natural History of Asymptomatic Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms Evaluated Using CTA – Growth and Rupture Incidence and Correlation to Epidemiologic Risk Factors.

MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings of the study?

Answer:   Our longitudinal study showed that growing aneurysms have a significantly higher risk of rupture than aneurysms that are stable in size over time. Due to this increased risk, we recommend that all aneurysms, regardless of size, should be followed regularly to look for growth. We have also found that larger aneurysm size, aneurysm growth and cigarette smoking may independently increase the risk of rupture.

MedicalResearch.com:  Were any of the findings unexpected?

Answer:    Though there are scattered reports of ruptures in growing aneurysms, we were surprised to find up to a 12 fold increase in rupture risk associated with growth.

MedicalResearch.com:  What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Answer:   The big take away is that any aneurysm of any size can grow.

Small aneurysms, even those under 7mm in diameter, can grow and rupture and therefore need to be followed.

MedicalResearch.com:  What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Answer:   For the future, we would like to further refine the accuracy of our data by increasing our sample size. This may allow us to determine what is the minimal growth, growth rate, and time to growth that may specifically increase the risk of rupture.

Citation:

“The Natural History of Asymptomatic Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms Evaluated at CT Angiography: Growth and Rupture Incidence and Correlation with Epidemiologic Risk Factors.” Collaborating with Dr. Villablanca were Gary R. Duckwiler, M.D., Reza Jahan, M.D., Satoshi Tateshima, M.D., Ph.D., Neil A. Martin, M.D., John Frazee, M.D., Nestor R. Gonzalez, M.D., James Sayre, Ph.D., and Fernando V. Vinuela, M.D.

Last Updated on July 4, 2013 by Marie Benz MD FAAD