Accuracy of computed tomography angiography in the diagnosis of intracranial aneurysms. 2013

Gustavo Pradilla, and Robert T Wicks, and Uri Hadelsberg, and Philippe Gailloud, and Alexander L Coon, and Judy Huang, and Rafael J Tamargo
Department of Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

OBJECTIVE Although digital subtraction angiography (DSA) remains the standard for intracranial aneurysm diagnosis, computed tomography angiography (CTA) is being increasingly used for this purpose. CTA has sensitivities and specificities reported as high as 97% and 100%, respectively. We analyzed a prospective cohort of 112 patients with 134 unruptured aneurysms who underwent community CTAs and confirmatory DSAs in a tertiary facility. METHODS Patients referred between 2007 and 2010 (mean age 53.2 years) with aneurysms identified by CTA underwent confirmatory DSA. The results were compared to determine accuracy of CTA in diagnosing aneurysms. Aneurysms diagnosed by CTA but ruled out by DSA or aneurysms missed by CTA but diagnosed by DSA were analyzed by size and location. Anatomical variants leading to false CTA positive results were noted. RESULTS CTA identified 132 aneurysms, of which 27 (20.5%) were false positives. Of these 27 aneurysms, 18 were completely negative but 9 had an anatomical structure that explained the CTA finding, 18 were either small (6-10 mm, 4%) or very small (1-5 mm, 63%), and 16 were located either in the anterior communicating artery (ACoA) region (33%) or at the basilar artery bifurcation (26%). Additionally, DSA identified 29 aneurysms (21.6%) missed by CTA. The most common locations for these were the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery (24%) and the middle cerebral artery (24%), and all but 1 were very small (1-5 mm). CONCLUSIONS The CTA accuracy rate may be lower than previously reported. CTA is particularly inaccurate in aneurysms 5 mm or smaller and those in the ACoA region.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D011446 Prospective Studies Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group. Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D002343 Carotid Artery, Internal Branch of the common carotid artery which supplies the anterior part of the brain, the eye and its appendages, the forehead and nose. Arteries, Internal Carotid,Artery, Internal Carotid,Carotid Arteries, Internal,Internal Carotid Arteries,Internal Carotid Artery
D002532 Intracranial Aneurysm Abnormal outpouching in the wall of intracranial blood vessels. Most common are the saccular (berry) aneurysms located at branch points in CIRCLE OF WILLIS at the base of the brain. Vessel rupture results in SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE or INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGES. Giant aneurysms (>2.5 cm in diameter) may compress adjacent structures, including the OCULOMOTOR NERVE. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p841) Aneurysm, Cerebral,Aneurysm, Intracranial,Basilar Artery Aneurysm,Berry Aneurysm,Brain Aneurysm,Cerebral Aneurysm,Giant Intracranial Aneurysm,Mycotic Aneurysm, Intracranial,Aneurysm, Anterior Cerebral Artery,Aneurysm, Anterior Communicating Artery,Aneurysm, Basilar Artery,Aneurysm, Middle Cerebral Artery,Aneurysm, Posterior Cerebral Artery,Aneurysm, Posterior Communicating Artery,Anterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysm,Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm,Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysm,Posterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysm,Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm,Aneurysm, Berry,Aneurysm, Brain,Aneurysm, Giant Intracranial,Aneurysm, Intracranial Mycotic,Aneurysms, Basilar Artery,Aneurysms, Berry,Aneurysms, Brain,Aneurysms, Cerebral,Aneurysms, Giant Intracranial,Aneurysms, Intracranial,Aneurysms, Intracranial Mycotic,Artery Aneurysm, Basilar,Artery Aneurysms, Basilar,Basilar Artery Aneurysms,Berry Aneurysms,Brain Aneurysms,Cerebral Aneurysms,Giant Intracranial Aneurysms,Intracranial Aneurysm, Giant,Intracranial Aneurysms,Intracranial Aneurysms, Giant,Intracranial Mycotic Aneurysm,Intracranial Mycotic Aneurysms,Mycotic Aneurysms, Intracranial
D002533 Cerebral Angiography Radiography of the vascular system of the brain after injection of a contrast medium. Angiography, Cerebral,Angiographies, Cerebral,Cerebral Angiographies
D005188 False Negative Reactions Negative test results in subjects who possess the attribute for which the test is conducted. The labeling of diseased persons as healthy when screening in the detection of disease. (Last, A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed) False Negative Reaction,Reaction, False Negative,Reactions, False Negative
D005189 False Positive Reactions Positive test results in subjects who do not possess the attribute for which the test is conducted. The labeling of healthy persons as diseased when screening in the detection of disease. (Last, A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed) False Positive Reaction,Positive Reaction, False,Positive Reactions, False,Reaction, False Positive,Reactions, False Positive
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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