Histologic and morphologic comparison of experimental aneurysms with human intracranial aneurysms.

PURPOSE Vein pouch aneurysms are the most commonly created experimental lesions in neuroendovascular research. We sought to determine whether an experimental aneurysm that is derived from a pancreatic elastase-digested arterial sac (EDASA) models the histology and morphology of human cerebral aneurysms more accurately than the vein pouch aneurysm does.

METHODS EDASAs were created in the common carotid arteries of four rabbits, and vein pouch aneurysms were created in the common carotid arteries of four pigs. Five recently ruptured human cerebral aneurysms were obtained at autopsy. Identical histologic preparations were made for all specimens, and a vascular pathologist performed blinded histologic analyses. Morphologic dimensions were measured with a micrometer at 40-fold magnification.

RESULTS In each human cerebral aneurysm, there was complete absence of internal elastic lamina and tunica media, and none showed evidence of mural inflammation or neointimal proliferation. Average wall thickness was 51 microm. All vein pouch aneurysms had a well-developed internal elastic lamina and tunica media, and all exhibited profound inflammation and neointimal proliferation. Average wall thickness was 290 microm. EDASAs were devoid of internal elastic lamina, their tunica medias were mildly atrophic, and the sac walls contained only mild inflammation and neointimal proliferation. Average wall thickness was 46 microm.

CONCLUSIONS EDASAs model the morphologic and histologic characteristics of human cerebral aneurysms more accurately than vein pouch aneurysms do.