Traumatic Cerebral Aneurysms Secondary to Penetrating Intracranial Injuries

Traumatic intracranial aneurysms are rare, occurring in less than 1% of patients with cerebral aneurysms. They can occur following blunt or penetrating head trauma and are more common in the pediatric population. These aneurysms can present in a variety of ways but are typically associated with an acute episode of delayed intracranial hemorrhage with an average time from initial trauma to aneurysm hemorrhage of approximately 21 days. The mortality rate for patients harboring these aneurysms may be as high as 50%. Prompt diagnosis based on digital subtraction angiography and aggressive surgical clipping and/or endovascular occlusion is the definitive treatment.