Distal superior cerebellar artery aneurysm in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: case report

BACKGROUND: The authors describe a case of ruptured distal superior cerebellar artery (SCA) aneurysm in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). CASE DESCRIPTION: A 31-year-old female who had been treated for SLE for 13 years presented with a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Cerebral angiography demonstrated an aneurysm arising from the cisternal portion of the left superior cerebellar artery. The patient underwent early endovascular coil embolization and was discharged from our hospital without neurological deficit. CONCLUSION: Aneurysms arising from peripheral segments of cerebellar arteries are rare, and delayed surgical clipping has been recommended for these lesions. In addition, the outcomes of SLE patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms are reported to be very poor due to the systemic complications of SLE. However, our patient had a favorable outcome with early endovascular treatment for the ruptured aneurysm and with appropriate medical treatment for the accompanying SLE. Therefore, early endovascular coil embolization is worthy of consideration among the options for therapeutic intervention in these conditions.