Epidemiological and imaging features of intracranial aneurysms in young adults

Background Nowadays, the epidemiological report and study about the intracranial aneurysms in young adults are very rare, especially in China. This paper aims to investigate the epidemiological and imaging features of intracranial aneurysms in young adults with the age of 16-29 years old. Methods Clinical data of 2119 patients with intracranial aneurysms admitted from January 2010 to October 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Intracranial aneurysms in young adults (16-29 years old) accounted for 1.93% of all intracranial aneurysms (41/2119) treated in the same period, and the gender ratio (male∶female) was 2.15∶1. A total of 42 intracranial aneurysms were found in 41 patients, including 35 located in the anterior circulation and 7 in the posterior circulation, of which 13 aneurysms (30.95%) in the anterior communicating artery, 6 aneurysms (14.29%) each in the middle cerebral artery and the distal of anterior cerebral artery, and 2 aneurysms (4.76% ) in the posterior communicating artery. There were almost 34 aneurysms (80.95%) located in bifurcation of Willis circle and proximal aorta and 8 aneurysms (19.05%) in the branches of artery. The diameter of aneurysms were ≤ 5 mm in 19 aneurysms (45.24%), 6-10 mm in 13 (30.95%), 11-24 mm in 3 (7.14%) and ≥ 25 mm in 7 (16.67%). Conclusion Young men are much more susceptible to intracranial aneurysms than young women, but the incidence in women increases as they grow old. The anterior communicating artery is the predilection site of intracranial aneurysms in young adults (16-29 years old), and the occurence of giant aneurysms and the aneurysms in the posterior circulation and the distal of anterior cerebral artery is common. The epidemiological and imaging features and gender ratio of intracranial aneurysms in young adults (16-29 years old) are similar to those in children and adolesents, but much different from adult patients.