Treatment of an anterior cerebral artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to a transsphenoidal surgery using stent-assisted coiling

Abstract

Background: Injury of the internal carotid artery (ICA) during transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) is a rare but critical complication. There are several reports on endovascular treatment of ICA injury during TSS. With the recent flourishing of extended TSS, injuries to the distal arteries such as the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) are more likely to occur.

Case description: In the present case, we report a pseudoaneurysm of the right ACA due to injury during extended TSS for aggressive prolactinoma. Due to the absence of collateral vessels, the pseudoaneurysm had to be obliterated while preserving the parent artery. Hence, we decided to treat the pseudoaneurysm using stent-assisted coiling (SAC). The pseudoaneurysm was completely obliterated and he was discharged without any complications.

Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case in which an ACA pseudoaneurysm caused by injury during the TSS was treated with SAC and the parent artery was preserved.

Keywords: Anterior cerebral artery; Parent artery preservation; Pseudoaneurysm; Stent-assisted coiling; Transsphenoidal surgery.