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changes, and five no changes. Importantly, all three aneurysms for which there is treatment equipoise or
aneurysms with early signal change ruptured within patient co-morbidity.
6 months of imaging, while none of the remaining
aneurysms ruptured or changed in size on follow-up CONCLUSION
imaging. The authors concluded that aneurysms with
early ferumoxytol uptake have a greater degree of Preliminary advances in the imaging of cerebral
inflammation, suggesting an unstable state prone to aneurysm inflammation have highlighted the importance
aneurysm rupture. of pathobiology in aneurysm rupture. Future studies of
aneurysm surveillance using such imaging, especially
The same group then examined the effect of aspirin ferumoxytol-enhanced MRI, promise to improve
on ferumoxytol uptake in intracranial aneurysms. clinicians’ understanding of individual rupture risk
A preliminary study demonstrated that administering beyond simple anatomical metrics such as aneurysm
aspirin 81 mg daily for 3 months to patients diameter. Finally, antiinflammatory therapy may play
with cerebral aneurysms reduced the uptake of a role in the treatment of unruptured aneurysms.
ferumoxytol. Subsequently, a small prospective study
[21]
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