Definition and extraction of 2D shape indices of intracranial aneurysm necks for rupture risk assessment

Abstract

Purpose: Intracranial aneurysms are local dilations of brain vessels. Their rupture, as well as their treatment, is associated with high risk of morbidity and mortality. In this work, we propose shape indices for aneurysm ostia for the rupture risk assessment of intracranial aneurysms. Methods: We analyzed 84 middle cerebral artery bifurcation aneurysms (27 ruptured and 57 unruptured) and their ostia, with respect to their size and shape. We extracted 3D models of the aneurysms and vascular trees. A semi-automatic approach was used to separate the aneurysm from its parent vessel and to reconstruct the ostium. We used known indices to quantitatively describe the aneurysms. For the ostium, we present new shape indices: the 2D Undulation Index (UI2 D), the 2D Ellipticity Index (EI2 D) and the 2D Noncircularity Index (NCI2 D). Results were analyzed using the Student t test, the Mann–Whitney U test and a correlation analysis between indices of the aneurysms and their ostia. Results: Of the indices, none was significantly associated with rupture status. Most aneurysms have an NCI2 D below 0.2. Of the aneurysms that have an NCI2 D above 0.5, only one is ruptured, which indicates that ruptured aneurysms often have a circular-shaped ostium. Furthermore, the ostia of ruptured aneurysms tend to have a smaller area, which is also correlated with the aneurysm’s size. While also other variables were significantly correlated, strong linear correlations can only be seen between the area of the ostium with the aneurysm’s volume and surface. Conclusion: The proposed shape indices open up new possibilities to quantitatively describe and compare ostia, which can be beneficial for rupture risk assessment and subsequent treatment decision. Additionally, this work shows that the ostium area and the size of the aneurysm are correlated. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to analyze whether stable and unstable aneurysms can be distinguished by their ostia.