What is a PCOM aneurysm?

Abstract: Posterior communicating artery (PCOM) aneurysms are common and carry a higher risk of rupture than aneurysms at other locations in the brain. They arise from the ventral surface of the intradural internal carotid artery and often incorporate the posterior communicating artery itself.

Where is a PCOM aneurysm?

Surgical Clipping of PCOM Aneurysms PCOM aneurysms can be one of the easiest or one of the most difficult aneurysms to treat surgically. The PCOM artery is one of the first branches visualized during dissection of the carotid cistern and the dome of the aneurysm is typically directed away from approach trajectory.

How is posterior communicating artery aneurysm treated?

Treatment options of PCOM aneurysm include surgical clipping and endovascular techniques; surgical treatment is preferable in large aneurysm especially when it is causing mass effect on the oculomotor nerve, aneurysms with unfavorable fundus, and those associated with fetal PCOM artery origin [3, 4].

Is CTA better than MRA?

In this study, the AUC of CTA and MRA for diagnosing intracranial aneurysm was 0.90 and 0.87, respectively. This indicates that CTA has a slight higher accuracy than MRA in diagnosis of intracranial aneurysms on the surface, which is consistent with several prior studies.

Can non contrast MRI show aneurysm?

[15] reported that a negative non-contrast CT followed by a negative CT angiogram carries a post-test probability of 99.43 % of being negative for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

What happens if the posterior communicating artery is blocked?

This blockage keeps blood from reaching its destination in the brain, resulting in a loss of function in the affected region. Strokes can happen when a blood clot gets lodged in an artery, becomes blocked from disease, or if a blood vessel bleeds.

What causes posterior communicating artery aneurysm?

Suddenly, increased intracranial aneurysm blood flow and pressure during posterior circulation angiography continuous injection of contrast medium with high-pressure syringe might be another main cause of ruptured posterior communicating artery aneurysm hemorrhage.

What neurological signs would you expect from a posterior communicating artery aneurysm?

While most unruptured PCOM aneurysms are asymptomatic, when symptoms do occur, clinical manifestations typically include severe headache (HA), visual acuity loss, and cranial nerve deficit.

What causes a posterior communicating artery aneurysm?

Where is the posterior communicating artery located?

circle of Willis
The PCOM is located in the back of the head at the back end of the circle of Willis. It is located on the left and right sides of the head and is relatively short. The posterior cerebral arteries branch off from the basilar artery.

Can an MRA without contrast detect an aneurysm?

Even though this method has many advantages for imaging the body and the extracranial blood vessels, it is not widely used for imaging intracranial vessels. The preferred method of imaging intracranial aneurysms with MRA is the 3D TOF technique, since it provides high-quality images, without contrast administration.