A case of an unruptured duplicated middle cerebral artery aneurysm–An unusual presentation of the distal internal carotid artery aneurysm

Abstract

The duplicated middle cerebral artery (DMCA) is an anatomic variation that arises from the distal internal carotid artery (ICA) and supplies blood to the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory. Aneurysms of the DMCA have been reported in 36 cases in 2020. We also report a case of a 3.7 mm saccular aneurysm originating from the DMCA. A 52-year-old woman visited our hospital with worsening headache. She had no neurological abnormalities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) revealed a right distal ICA aneurysm at the anterior choroidal artery. Cerebral angiography was performed to confirm the shape and the size of the aneurysm. Cerebral angiography revealed that the vessel that was originally identified as the anterior choroidal artery by the MRA was actually the duplicated MCA that was originating from the aneurysm neck and was supplying the MCA territory. The patient’s aneurysm was clipped using a transsylvian approach and she recovered without any neurological symptoms. DMCAs are rare and often associated with aneurysms and require preoperative evaluation to confirm the vascular status, aneurysm characteristics, and the shape of the parent artery.