Intracranial aneurysm

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Intracranial aneurysm
Other names	Cerebral aneurysm, brain aneurysm
Aneurysm of the basilar artery and the vertebral arteries
Specialty	Interventional neuroradiology, neurosurgery, neurology
Symptoms	None, severe headache, visual problems, nausea and vomiting, confusion[1]
Usual onset	30–60 years old
Causes	Hypertension, infection, head trauma[2]
Risk factors	old age, family history, smoking, alcoholism, cocaine use[1]
Diagnostic method	Angiography, CT scan
Treatment	Endovascular coiling, surgical clipping, cerebral bypass surgery, pipeline embolization

An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.

Aneurysms in the posterior circulation (basilar artery, vertebral arteries and posterior communicating artery) have a higher risk of rupture. Basilar artery aneurysms represent only 3–5% of all intracranial aneurysms but are the most common aneurysms in the posterior circulation.