Management of Small Incidental Intracranial Aneurysms

Abstract

Advances in neuroimaging and its widespread use for screening have increased the diagnosis of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs), including small-sized UIAs. The clinical management of these small-sized UIAs requires a patient-specific judgment of the risk of aneurysm rupture, if not treated, versus the risk of complications from surgical or endovascular treatment. Experienced cerebrovascular teams recommend treating small UIAs in young patients or in patients with more than one aneurysm rupture risk factor who also have a reasonable life expectancy. However, individual overall assessment of risk is critical for patients with UIAs to decide the next steps of care.

Keywords: Endovascular coiling; Incidental aneurysm; Microsurgical clipping; Small-sized UIAs; Unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA).