Application of computed tomographic angiography in the diagnosis and treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms

Objective To assess the values of computed tomographic angiography(CTA) in the diagnosis and treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysm.Methods Seventy-two patients who had ruptured intracranial aneurysms and underwent clipping or coil embolism were retrospectively analysed.All the patients performed CTA,and once aneurysm was found,treatment decision was made quickly.The differences among the findings in CTA,DSA and operation were analyzed.Results 81 aneurysms were found in the 72 cases.CTA revealed 71 ruptured aneurysms and 8 unrupture aneurysms,reaching the sensitivity of 97.5%.One small paraclinoid internal carotid artery aneurysm and 1 vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm were missed.CTA could shown three-dimensional structure of aneurysm.There was no significant difference regarding the size of aneurysmal neck and sac measured in CTA,DSA and operation directly(P0.05).CTA provided good view on aneurysmal direction,neck and the spatial relation between aneurysm and their adjacent vessels.CTA was superior to DSA in presenting the spatial relation between aneurysm and their adjacent bony structures.Conclusions CTA is a quick,reliable and noninvasive method.It can quickly provide clear information of aneurysms,which became the guidance for clipping or coiling of intracranial aneurysms.