Serpentine aneurysm of the posterior cerebral artery treated by internal maxillary artery bypass followed by parent artery occlusion: a case report and literature review

Serpentine aneurysms of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) treated by the internal maxillary artery (IMA) bypass are rare. Here, the authors report the case of a 34-year-old male patient who presented with a half-year history of gradual severe headache and right-sided limb monoparesis and paresthesia lasting for 1week. Preoperative angiograms showed a serpentine aneurysm in the left distal PCA, which was treated with internal maxillary artery-radial artery-posterior cerebral artery (IMA-RA-PCA) bypass followed by parent artery occlusion (PAO). The postoperative course was uneventful; radiological images revealed that the aneurysm disappeared, and there was good graft patency and excellent perfusion of the distal PCA territories. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first and only case of distal PCA serpentine aneurysm to be treated by IMA-RA-PCA bypass followed by proximal PAO. These findings suggest that IMA bypass surgery is a good and feasible treatment option for serpentine aneurysms of the PCA that can preserve the parent artery. Moreover, the anatomic segments of the PCA and different treatment options available for PCA serpentine aneurysms are also discussed in this study.