Ruptured Mycotic Aneurysm of the Distal Circulation in a Patient with Mucormycosis Without Direct Skull Base Extension: Case Report

Background and importance: Infectious intracranial aneurysms are a rare subset of intracranial aneurysms caused by bacterial, fungal, or viral sources. Intracranial aneurysms of fungal etiology carry a high mortality risk and typically occur in immunocompromised patients via direct extension of skull base infections, or more rarely, after intracranial surgery.

Clinical presentation: We present the case of a 27-yr-old female with systemic lupus erythematous and primary pulmonary mucormycosis, who suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured fusiform distal middle cerebral artery aneurysm. Despite undergoing a successful extracranial-to-intracranial bypass and aneurysm excision, the patient ultimately died following progressive disseminated infection and a secondary intracranial hemorrhage of unknown etiology. Pathological examination of the excised artery confirmed Mucor infection.

Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this case represents one of the first mycotic cerebral aneurysms from mucormycosis in a patient without an underlying skull base infection or previous intracranial surgery. Despite optimal surgical management, clinical outcomes for mycotic cerebral aneurysms are largely dependent on the success of medical therapies at controlling systemic disease.