Anterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Bypasses: The 7-Bypass Framework Applied to Ischemia and Aneurysms in the Cerebellopontine Angle

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob F Baranoski ◽  
Colin J Przybylowski ◽  
Justin R Mascitelli ◽  
Michael J Lang ◽  
Michael T Lawton

Abstract BACKGROUND Aneurysms of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) are rare. Primary clip reconstruction of these lesions is a challenge because of the limited surgical exposure and frequent nonsaccular aneurysm morphology. Endovascular treatment options exist, but outcomes are equivalent to those for open surgery. Historically, AICA aneurysms not amenable to clipping or primary coiling have been treated with parent vessel sacrifice. OBJECTIVE To determine whether an AICA revascularization strategy would afford for the safe treatment of AICA aneurysms and other posterior circulation pathologies without compromising perfusion of the AICA territories. METHODS We describe a series of AICA bypasses to treat 4 AICA aneurysms and 3 vertebral artery/AICA occlusions. RESULTS We used 7 types of bypasses to revascularize the AICA territory. Bypass types included extracranial-to-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass without an interpositional graft, EC-IC with an interpositional graft, in situ bypass, reanastomosis, reimplantation, intracranial-to-intracranial bypass with interpositional graft, and combination bypasses. In particular, we performed the following 7 bypasses: OA-a3 AICA, OA-RAG-a3 AICA, p3 PICA-a3 AICA, a2 AICA reanastomosis, V4 VA-a3 AICA, V3 VA-SVG-a3 AICA, and a combined OA-a3 AICA bypass and p3 PICA reanastomosis. AICA revascularization allows for the safe treatment of AICA aneurysms and other posterior circulation pathologies without compromising perfusion of the AICA territories. CONCLUSION All 7 AICA bypasses are feasible for application to AICA aneurysms and ischemic disease. Our experience with the 7-bypass framework demonstrates the utility of the framework as a decision-making tool and the breadth of bypass innovation possible in this anatomically challenging region.

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 418-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan S Lee ◽  
Alex M Witek ◽  
Nina Z Moore ◽  
Mark D Bain

Abstract BACKGROUND Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) aneurysms are rare lesions whose treatment can involve microsurgical and/or endovascular techniques. Such treatment can be challenging and may carry a significant risk of neurological morbidity. OBJECTIVE To demonstrate a case involving a complex AICA aneurysm that was treated with a unique microsurgical approach involving trapping the aneurysm and performing in Situ bypass from the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) to the distal AICA. The nuances of AICA aneurysms and revascularization strategies are discussed. METHODS The aneurysm and the distal segments of AICA and PICA were exposed with a retrosigmoid and far lateral approach. A side-to-side anastomosis was performed between the adjacent caudal loops of PICA and AICA. The AICA aneurysm was then treated by trapping the aneurysm-bearing segment of the parent vessel between 2 clips. RESULTS A postoperative angiogram demonstrated a patent PICA-AICA bypass and complete occlusion of the AICA aneurysm. There were no complications, and the patient made an excellent recovery. CONCLUSION The combination of parent vessel sacrifice and bypass remains an excellent option for certain difficult-to-treat aneurysms. This case involving PICA-AICA bypass to treat an AICA aneurysm serves as an example of the neurosurgeon's ability to develop unique solutions that take advantage of individual anatomy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. E311-E312
Author(s):  
Justin R Mascitelli ◽  
Sirin Gandhi ◽  
Jacob F Baranoski ◽  
Michael J Lang ◽  
Michael T Lawton

Abstract In situ bypasses to the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) are unusual because, with only one artery in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA), no natural intracranial donors parallel its course. In rare cases, the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) may have the tortuosity or redundancy to be mobilized to the AICA to serve as a donor. This video demonstrates this p3 PICA-to-a3 AICA in situ side-to-side bypass. A 75-yr-old woman presented with ataxia and hemiparesis from a large thrombotic right AICA aneurysm compressing the brainstem. Strategy consisted of bypass, trapping, and brainstem decompression. Written informed consent for surgery was obtained from the patient. A hockey-stick incision was made to harvest the occipital artery as a backup donor, but its diminutive caliber precluded its use. The bypass was performed through an extended retrosigmoid craniotomy. The aneurysm was trapped completely and thrombectomized to relieve the pontine mass effect. Indocyanine green videoangiography confirmed patency of the bypass, retrograde filling of the AICA to supply pontine perforators, and no residual aneurysmal filling. This unusual in situ bypass is possible when redundancy of the AICA and PICA allow their approximation in the CPA. The anastomosis is performed lateral to the lower cranial nerves in a relatively open and superficial plane. The extended retrosigmoid approach provides adequate exposure for both the bypass and aneurysm trapping. In situ AICA-PICA bypass enables anterograde and retrograde AICA revascularization with side-to-side anastomosis. The occipital artery-to-AICA bypass and the V3 vertebral artery-to-AICA interpositional bypass are alternatives when intracranial anatomy is unfavorable for this in situ bypass.1–6 Used with permission from Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (01) ◽  
pp. 161-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajsrinivas Parthasarathy ◽  
Carol Derksen ◽  
Maher Saqqur ◽  
Khurshid Khan

ABSTRACTEmbryonic carotid – basilar anastomosis when persistent in adult life can present with a variety of neurological symptoms. We present a patient with isolated intermittent vertigo attributable to the embryonic anastomosis and describe the different types of persistent trigeminal artery. A 76-year-old Caucasian man presented with isolated intermittent vertigo and symptoms suggestive of anterior and posterior circulation strokes. Impaired vasomotor reactivity was demonstrated on insonation of the anterior and posterior cerebral arteries in this patient with a persistent left trigeminal artery and 75% stenosis of the left internal carotid artery (ICA). The symptom of intermittent vertigo resolved with carotid endarterectomy. Decreased flow across the stenotic segment of the ICA which subserved the posterior circulation resulted in basilar insufficiency. Hypoperfusion to the flocculonodular lobe supplied by the anterior inferior cerebellar artery is a likely cause for the intermittent vertigo.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Michael Lemole ◽  
Jeffrey Henn ◽  
Sam Javedan ◽  
Vivek Deshmukh ◽  
Robert F. Spetzler

✓ Cerebral revascularization is often required for the surgical treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms. In certain anatomical locations, vascular anatomy and redundancy make in situ bypass possible. The authors present four patients who underwent revascularization performed using the rarely reported posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA)—PICA in situ bypass after their aneurysms had been trapped. At Barrow Neurological Institute, between 1991 and the present, four male patients underwent PICA—PICA bypasses to treat aneurysms involving the vertebral artery, the PICA, or both. The mean age of these patients was 34 years (range 5–49 years). Follow-up studies revealed patent bypasses and no evidence of infarction. Patient outcomes were excellent or good. Multiple surgical techniques have been described for revascularization of at-risk cerebral territories. Often, the blood supply must be derived from extracranial sources through a mobilized pedicle or interposited graft. Certain anatomical locations such as the vertebrobasilar junction, the anterior circle of Willis, and the middle cerebral artery bifurcation are amenable to in situ bypass because there is vessel redundancy or proximity to the contralateral analogous vessel. The advantages of an in situ bypass include one suture line, a short bypass distance, and a close match with the caliber of the recipient graft. Although technically challenging, this technique can be successful and should be considered for appropriate candidates.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. e19-e19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin R Mascitelli ◽  
Ian T McNeill ◽  
J Mocco ◽  
Alejandro Berenstein ◽  
Joseph DeMattia ◽  
...  

Distal anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) pseudoaneurysms are very rare lesions. Although cases have been previously reported, only a few have been reported as a result of vestibular schwannoma (VS) radiation, none have been reported as a result of VS resection, and only one has been reported as treated with parent vessel occlusion (PVO) with n-butyl cyanoacrylate (nBCA). We report a case of a 65-year-old man with a history of right-sided VS surgery and radiation who presented years later with a ruptured pseudoaneurysm of the distal right AICA and was treated with endovascular PVO using nBCA. The aneurysm was completely obliterated and the patient had no worsening of symptoms or neurological exam. The case illustrates a very rare complication of VS surgery and radiation as well as an effective treatment for distal AICA aneurysms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaojue Huang ◽  
Shixing Qin ◽  
Wei Huang ◽  
Yongjia Yu

Background: Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) aneurysms are relatively rare in clinical practice, accounting for <1% of all intracranial arteries. After the diagnosis and location are confirmed by angiography, magnetic resonance, and other imaging examinations, interventional, or surgical treatment is often used, but some complex aneurysms require reconstructive surgery.Case Description: An 8-year-old male child was admitted to the hospital due to sudden disturbance of consciousness for 2 weeks. The head CT showed hematocele in the ventricular system with subarachnoid hemorrhage in the basilar cistern and annular cistern. On admission, he was conscious, answered correctly, had a soft neck, limb muscle strength was normal, and had no cranial nerves or nervous system abnormalities. A preoperative examination showed the right side of the anterior distal arteries class under the circular wide neck aneurysm, the distal anterior inferior cerebellar artery supplying a wide range of blood to the cerebellum, the ipsilateral posterior inferior cerebellar artery absent, and the aneurysm close to the VII, VIII nerves. The aneurysm was successfully treated by aneurysm resection and intracranial artery anastomosis in situ of a2 AICA-a2 AICA.Conclusions: AICA aneurysms are relatively rare; in this case, a complex wide-necked aneurysm was successfully treated by aneurysm resection and anastomosis in situ of a2 AICA-a2 AICA. This case can provide a reference for the surgical treatment of complex anterior cerebellar aneurysms.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajjad Muhammad ◽  
Ahmad Hafez ◽  
Hanna Kaukovalta ◽  
Behnam Jahromi ◽  
Riku Kivisaari ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) aneurysms are rare posterior circulation lesions that are challenging to treat.Objectives: To present the treatment and clinical outcome of AICA aneurysms in an unselected cohort of patients.Methods: A retrospective analysis of patient record files, DSA and CT angiography images of 15 consecutive patients harboring AICA aneurysms treated between 1968 to 2017. Results: Eighty percent of the AICA aneurysm patients were females. Twenty percent presented with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and 40% had intraventricular hemorrhage. Eleven (73%) patients suffered from subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH); a good-grade SAH (Hunt and Hess grade 1-3) was observed in 82 % SAH patients. Surgery was performed in 73 % patients. Coil embolization was done in 7% patients and 20 % patients were treated conservatively. In 73 % patients retrosigmoid approach was used and in 27 % patients a sub-temporal approach with anterior petrosectomy was applied. A parent vessel occlusion was needed to occlude the aneurysm in 18 % patients.Conclusion: Surgical treatment of AICA aneurysms has a high rate of cranial nerve deficits but most of patients have a good long-term clinical outcome. Surgical treatment may be an option only in selected cases of AICA aneurysms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-7
Author(s):  
Gopal R Sharma ◽  
Rajiv Jha ◽  
Prakash Poudel ◽  
Dhrub R Adhikari ◽  
Prakash Bista

Trigeminal neuralgia (TGN) is a very peculiar disease, mostly characterized by unilateral paroxysmal facial pain, often described by patient as ‘one of the worst pain in my life’. This condition is also known as ‘Tic Douloureus’. The annual incidence of TN is about 4.7/100000 population, male and female are equally affected. The diagnosis is usually made by history, clinical fi ndings and cranial imaging is required to rule out compressing vascular loop, organic lesions and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at Trigeminal nerve (TN). Treatment of TGN ranged from medical to surgical intervention. Between September 2007 and April 2015, 20 patients underwent micro vascular decompression (MVD) of TN for TGN who were refractory to medical treatment at department of Neurosurgery, Bir Hospital. All decompressions were performed using operating microscope. Follow up period ranged from 22 months to 8 years.There were 9 males and 11 females and age ranged from 30-70 years. The neuralgic pain was localized on right side in 13 patients and left on 7 patients. Pain distribution was on V3 (mandibular branch) dermatome in 11, V2( Maxillary branch ) in 4, V2-3 in 2 and V1- 2-3 in 3 patients respectively. On intraoperative fi ndings TN was compressed by superior cerebellar artery ( SCA ) in 8, tumors in 4, unidentifi ed vessels in 3, veins in 2, anterior inferior cerebellar artery ( AICA ) in 1 and no cause was found in 2 patients. 7 patients suffered postoperative complications which included hyposthesia in 3, pseudomeningocele in 3 and meningitis in 1. There was no mortality in this series. 20 patients felt pain relief immediately after procedure and 1 patients came after 3 years with recurrent pain requiring second surgery. In conclusion, MVD for TGN in younger patients who are refractory to medical treatment is one of the best treatment options which is safe and long term pain relief is achieved in majority of cases.Nepal Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 14, No. 2,  2017 Page:11-15


1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 127-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kazekawa ◽  
T. Fukushima ◽  
M. Tomonaga ◽  
T. Kawano ◽  
T. Kawaguchi ◽  
...  

We evaluated the usefulness of endovascular treatment of posterior circulation aneurysms with GDCs and IDCs, Five cases were treated with IDCs, and 15 cases were treated with GDCs. In this study, 8 aneurysms were identified at the basilar bifurcation, 3 at the P1 segment of the pasterior cerebral artery, 1 at the origin of the superior cerebellar artery, 2 at the vertebrobasilar junction, 1 at the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery, 1 at the distal anterior inferior cerebellar artery, and 4 dissecting aneurysms at the vertebral artery. Thirteen of the aneurysms were small (< 12 mm), 5 were large (13–24 mm), and 2 were giant (> 25 mm). Of the 20 patients, 14 patients returned to their previous occupation. Patients with permanent deficits included 2 patients with infarction caused by thromboembolic complications during the embolization procedure, and 2 with infarction caused by vasospasm. There were 2 deaths. The outcomes of the patients seemed favorable. However, long-term follow-up is necessary to determine the usefulness of detachable coils.


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