FREQUENCY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CEREBRAL ANEURYSM ON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY IN A TERTIARY CARE SETTING OF LAHORE

Abstract

Background: Cerebral aneurysms are important cerebrovascular abnormalities that may remain clinically silent until rupture, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) has become a widely utilized non-invasive imaging modality for the detection and characterization of intracranial aneurysms. However, local data regarding the frequency and radiological characteristics of cerebral aneurysms remain limited.

Objective: To determine the frequency of cerebral aneurysms detected on CTA and to evaluate their anatomical location, parent vessel involvement, and size distribution in patients undergoing neurovascular imaging at a tertiary care hospital in Lahore.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the Department of Radiology, Doctors Hospital & Medical Centre, Lahore, over a six-month period. A total of 120 adult patients undergoing neurovascular CTA were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. CTA examinations were performed using a 128-slice multidetector CT scanner. Images were independently reviewed by two experienced radiologists. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and associations between categorical variables were assessed using the Chi-square test or Fisher’s Exact Test, with a p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Cerebral aneurysms were detected in 47 of 120 patients, yielding a frequency of 39.2%. The mean age of patients with aneurysms was 54.6 ± 11.8 years. The anterior communicating artery was the most commonly involved vessel (29.8%), followed by the middle cerebral artery (25.5%) and posterior communicating artery (17.0%). The mean aneurysm size was 6.9 ± 3.7 mm. Medium-sized aneurysms (5–10 mm) constituted 44.7% of cases, while small and large aneurysms accounted for 40.4% and 14.9%, respectively. A significant association was observed between aneurysm location and size category (p = 0.041).

Conclusion: CTA demonstrated high utility in the detection and characterization of cerebral aneurysms. Anterior circulation aneurysms predominated, with most lesions measuring less than 10 mm. The findings provide valuable local evidence to support diagnostic evaluation and clinical risk assessment of cerebral aneurysms.