Hemodynamic Patterns of Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms: a Possible Association with Rupture

Background And Purpose: The anterior communicating artery (AcomA) is a predilect location of aneurysms which typically carry higher rupture risks than other locations in the anterior circulation. The purpose of this study was to characterize the different flow types present in AcomA aneurysms and to investigate possible associations with rupture.

Materials And Methods: Patient-specific computational models of 26 AcomA aneurysms were constructed from 3D rotational angiography images. Bilateral images were acquired in 15 patients who had both A1 segments of the anterior cerebral arteries, and models of the whole anterior circulation were created by fusing the reconstructed left and right arterial trees. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed under pulsatile flow conditions measured on a healthy subject. Visualizations of flow velocity, instantaneous streamlines, and wall shear stress (WSS) were performed. These were analyzed for flow patterns, size of the impaction zone, and peak WSS and then correlations were made with prior history of rupture.

Results: Aneurysms with small impaction zones were more likely to have ruptured than those with large impaction zones (83% versus 63%). Maximum intra-aneurysmal WSS (MWSS) for the unruptured aneurysms ranged from 10 to 230 dyne/cm(2) (mean, 114 dyne/cm(2)) compared with ruptured aneurysms, which ranged from 35 to 1500 dyne/cm(2) (mean, 271 dyne/cm(2)). This difference in MWSS was statistically significant at 90% confidence levels (P = .10).

Conclusions: Aneurysms with small impaction zones, higher flow rates entering the aneurysm, and elevated MWSS are associated with a clinical history of previous rupture.