Outflow occlusion with A3–A3 anastomosis for a doughnut-shaped partially thrombosed giant A2 aneurysm

BACKGROUND: A doughnut-shaped aneurysm, which is defined as a round-shaped aneurysm composed of an intraluminar thrombus and marginal parent artery, is an extremely uncommon subtype of partially thrombosed giant aneurysms. Surgical treatment of this characteristic aneurysm is technically challenging. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a rare case of a 79-year-old man with a symptomatic doughnut-shaped giant aneurysm at the A2 portion, which was successfully treated by outflow occlusion with an A3–A3 side-to-side anastomosis. Postoperative angiograms demonstrated no filling of the doughnut-shaped aneurysm and perfusion in the distal right anterior cerebral artery territory via the anastomosis. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging 1 year after the surgery demonstrated significant diminution of the aneurysm. CONCLUSIONS: Outflow occlusion with distal revascularization could be an effective surgical option for such a unique aneurysm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of outflow occlusion as a therapy for doughnut-shaped aneurysms.