A Review of Intracranial Aneurysm Imaging Modalities, from CT to State-of-the-Art MR

Abstract

Traditional guidance for intracranial aneurysm (IA) management is dichotomized by rupture status. Fundamental to the management of ruptured aneurysm is the detection and treatment of SAH, along with securing the aneurysm by the safest technique. On the other hand, unruptured aneurysms first require a careful assessment of their natural history versus treatment risk, including an imaging assessment of aneurysm size, location, and morphology, along with additional evidence-based risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and family history. Unfortunately, a large proportion of ruptured aneurysms are in the lower risk size category (<7 mm), putting a premium on discovering a more refined noninvasive biomarker to detect and stratify aneurysm instability before rupture. In this review of aneurysm work-up, we cover the gamut of established imaging modalities (eg, CT, CTA, DSA, FLAIR, 3D TOF-MRA, contrast-enhanced-MRA) as well as more novel MR techniques (MR vessel wall imaging, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, computational fluid dynamics). Additionally, we evaluate the current landscape of artificial intelligence software and its integration into diagnostic and risk-stratification pipelines for IAs. These advanced MR techniques, increasingly complemented with artificial intelligence models, offer a paradigm shift by evaluating factors beyond size and morphology, including vessel wall inflammation, permeability, and hemodynamics. Additionally, we provide our institution's scan parameters for many of these modalities as a reference. Ultimately, this review provides an organized, up-to-date summary of the array of available modalities/sequences for IA imaging to help build protocols focused on IA characterization.