Subarachnoid hemorrhage of unknown origin and the basilar artery configuration.

It is unclear whether the configuration of the basilar artery (BA) in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) of unknown origin is comparable to that in normal subjects or whether there are differences which may help to identify the origin. We studied the BA configuration in 57 patients with SAH of unknown origin (10%), who were identified in a prospectively collected series of 549 SAH patients consecutively admitted to our service over a 9-year period. There were 30 patients (53%) with non-perimesencephalic SAH and 27 with perimesencephalic SAH (47%). According to a standardized algorithm we determined, on straight anteroposterior digital subtraction angiography (DSA), the width of the proximal BA segment at the origin of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery and the width of the most distal BA segment between the superior cerebellar arteries and the posterior cerebral arteries. Based on these measurements we calculated the distal-proximal BA ratios and compared them to the ratios obtained in a control group of 31 patients who had DSA for reasons other than aneurysmal SAH. The mean ratio in patients with non-perimesencephalic SAH of unknown origin was 1.150 (range: 1.080-1.230). In patients with perimesencephalic SAH of unknown origin it was 1.156 (range: 1.120-1.250). In the control group the mean ratio was 1.163 (range: 1.125-1.200). There are no variations in the configurations of the BA which could possibly explain the cause of this type of SAH or clarify the origin of hemorrhage.