Infundibular Widening of Angiographically Invisible Duplicate Anterior Choroidal Artery Mimicking Typical Anterior Choroidal Artery Aneurysm

Abstract

A diagnosis of an intracranial aneurysm depends on the angiographic configuration and should be cautiously differentiated from aneurysm mimics. In cases of duplicate anterior choroidal arteries (AChAs), infundibular widening of the distal minor AChA can be an aneurysm mimic. If the minor AChA with a smaller diameter is obscured angiographically due to poor contrast filling, an associated infundibular widening beside the proximal large AChA can misinterpreted as a typical AChA aneurysm in angiograms. The authors report on two such cases of duplicate AChAs with infundibular widening presenting like a typical AChA aneurysm in angiograms. Surgical exploration revealed a perforating artery emitting from the dome of the saccular lesion, confirming infundibular widening of a duplicate AChA. No reparative procedure was applied to the infundibular widening in a 48-year-old man, while two vascular outpouchings from the infundibular widening were clipped preserving the duplicate AChA in a 55-year-old woman.