[Familial intracranial aneurysms. Review of the literature].

The pathogenesis of intracranial aneurysms is multifactorial, with acquired factors probably associated with genetic factors. Intracranial aneurysms may be associated with heritable connective tissue disorders, mainly polycystic kidney disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan's syndrome, and pseudoxhantoma elasticum. In the recent literature, familial intracranial aneurysms have been documented by large epidemiological studies in Sweden and Finland, with a frequency as high as 6.7 to 10%. Familial intracranial aneurysms have special characteristics concerning the age of the patient at the time of rupture, the location of the aneurysm, the size of the aneurysm at the time of rupture. The frequency of familial intracranial aneurysms is an argument for systematic screening, especially for patients aged between 30 and 65, when a familial occurrence of the disease has been clearly established. Magnetic resonance angiography is the most convenient method of screening, before intra-arterial arteriography is performed when an aneurysm is suspected.