1300 York Avenue NY, NY 10021 1. An intracerebral aneurysm is a small, thin walled outpouching or dilatation of one of the large blood vessels that supply the brain. These so-called saccular or berry aneurysms occur at the bifurcation of the large blood vessels at the base of the brain.
Intracerebral aneurysms can result from trauma, infection, or neoplastic disease.
Most aneurysms, however, result from a developmental abnormality of the inside lining or intima of an artery with abnormal thinning of the vessel at the site of origin. There are several other causes of intracerebral aneurysms. Cigarette smoking and excess alcohol use have been shown to increase the risk of rupture. Likewise, the existence of intracerebral aneurysms is associated with other diseases such as polycystic kidney disease, coarctation of the aorta, and fibromuscular hyperplasia. Other factors such as high blood pressure seem to be less important since aneurysms often occur in persons with normal blood pressure.