On the Inheritance of Intracranial Aneurysms

cranial aneurysms suggests the presence of a genetically determined underlying arteriopathy. The pattern of inheri-tance in these families usually is not known. Methods A family with seven members with intracranial aneurysms is described and, from the literature before 1994, a total of 238 families with 560 affected members (56 % female and 44 % male) with intracranial aneurysms not associated with a known heritable disease are reviewed. A segregation analysis was performed on 73 of these families. Results Two members were affected in the great majority of families (79%); five or more members were reported in only eight families (3%). The most common affected kinship was among siblings. Angiographic screening in 12 families detected an intracranial aneurysm in 29 % of 51 asymptomatic relatives. Segregation analysis revealed several patterns of inheritanc