Whole-brain CT perfusion combined with CT angiography for ischemic complications following microsurgical clipping and endovascular coiling of ruptured intracranial aneurysms

•Treatment-associated ischemic complications (ICs) were investigated by whole brain perfusion CT (WB-PCT) and CT angiography (CTA).•Disease-associated ICs were divided into focal and generalized vasospasm.•ICs of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage have three hemodynamic patterns on WB-PCT.•WB-PCT combined with CTA prevented misdiagnosis of ICs.

Ischemic complications associated with microsurgical clipping and endovascular coiling affects the outcome of patients with intracranial aneurysms. We prospectively evaluated 58 intracranial aneurysm patients who had neurological deterioration or presented with poor grade (Hunt-Hess grades III and IV), aneurysm size >13 mm and multiple aneurysms after clipping or coiling. Thirty patients had ischemic complications (52%) as demonstrated by whole-brain CT perfusion (WB-CTP) combined with CT angiography (CTA). Half of these 30 patients had treatment-associated reduction in the diameter of the parent vessels (n = 6), ligation of the parent vessels or perforating arteries (n = 2), and unexplained or indistinguishable vascular injury (n = 7); seven of these 15 (73%) patients suffered infarction. The remaining 15 patients had disease-associated cerebral ischemia caused by generalized vasospasm (n = 6) and focal vessel vasospasm (n = 9); six of these 15 (40%) patients developed infarction. Three hemodynamic patterns of ischemic complications were found on WB-CTP, of which increased time to peak, time to delay and mean transit time associated with decreased cerebral blood flow and cerebral blood volume were the main predictors of irreversible ischemic lesions. In conclusion, WB-CTP combined with CTA can accurately determine the cause of neurological deterioration and classify ischemic complications. This combined approach may be helpful in assessing hemodynamic patterns and monitoring operative outcomes.