Ruptured Dissecting Aneurysm of the Carotid Artery 12 Years after Gamma Knife Therapy for Pituitary Adenoma

Abstract

Objective: We report a rare case of carotid artery dissection leading to fatal epistaxis 12 years after Gamma knife surgery.

Case Presentation: A 65-year-old woman underwent Gamma knife surgery for remnant pituitary adenoma adjacent to the left cavernous sinus after transsphenoidal tumor removal. After 12 years, she developed repetitive critical hematemesis subsequent to cardiopulmonary arrest, and a dissecting aneurysm of the cavernous segment of the left internal carotid artery (ICA) was identified by cerebral angiography after resuscitation and massive blood transfusion. Effective hemostasis was confirmed by endovascular embolization to occlude the affected carotid artery. She was transferred to a rehabilitation facility 1 month after onset.

Conclusion: The etiology of this pathology may have been a collapsed vasa vasorum or fibrosis of adventitia on the carotid wall adjacent to the irradiated site. We need to suspect this rare but serious pathology in patients with histories of irradiation of the cavernous region who develop massive hematemesis of unknown origin.