Frequency of Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms in Chinese Patients

Cerebral aneurysms are the leading cause of nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. Identifying and, in selected cases, treating unruptured aneurysms could be beneficial for patients at high risk for aneurysm rupture. These investigators sought to identify the frequency of unruptured brain aneurysms in two districts of Shanghai. They identified 5080 eligible individuals aged 35 to 75, of whom 4813 underwent a brain magnetic resonance angiography study with a 3.0-T magnet and had a usable image.

Overall, 7.0% of patients had at least one unruptured aneurysm. Aneurysms were significantly more common in women than men (8.6% vs. 5.5%) and peaked in frequency in the 55-to-64-year-old age group (9.1%). Most aneurysms were small (<5 mm) and located i…