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Intracranial aneurysms in Ghanaian adults


Benjamin D. Sarkodie
Bashiru B. Jimah
Abdullah H. Mohammed
Albert Akpalu
Edmund K. Brakohiapa
Dorothea Anim
Benard O. Botwe

Abstract

Objective: To document the location, size, and multiplicity of intracranial aneurysms in Ghanaians who have undergone digital subtraction angiography (DSA) at a single centre in Accra, Ghana.
Design: We conducted a retrospective observational review of the medical records of all patients diagnosed with intracranial aneurysms on DSA
Setting: Patients’ medical records at Euracare Advanced Diagnostic and Heart Centre were reviewed between March 2018 and March 2020.
Participants: Thirty-one patients were identified with various intracranial aneurysms (IAs) within the study period. Patients’ ages, sex, and types of IAs were extracted using a checklist and analysed using Microsoft Excel for Windows 2016.
Interventions: None
Main outcome measures: The prevalence of types and distribution of intracranial aneurysms.
Results: The age range of the patients was 26-76 years, with a mean age of 45.5±14.3 years. The mean age of men and women with IA was 45.5 ±15.9 years and 46.7 51.3±12.9 years, respectively. The most common IAs were located in the posterior communicating artery (PCOM) at 54.8% (95%CI: 36.0, 72.7), followed by the anterior communicating (ACOM), which constituted 32.3% (95%CI: 16.7, 51.4). The majority, 89.2% (33/37) of these aneurysms were less than 7mm in diameter. Single aneurysms were present in 25 (80.6%).
Conclusion: The most common IAs were found in the PCOM and ACOM, and IAs tend to rupture at a younger age and smaller size among the Ghanaian adults examined. Early detection and treatment of IAs less than 7mm in diameter is recommended.


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print ISSN: 0016-9560