Quantitative indices for an intracranial aneurysm and subarachnoid hemorrhage in early childhood: a case report

BACKGROUND: Intracranial aneurysms (ICA) rarely occur in children under 3 years of age. Little is known for neuroimaging parameters that predict survival and clinical outcomes of patients with ICA in early childhood. CASE PRESENTATION: A 2-year-old girl showed intracranial hemorrhage due to a rupture of aneurysm at the middle cerebral artery. Quantitative measurements of ischemic damages on the head computed tomography (CT) marked an extremely low score of 2 points with modified Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (mASPECTS). She died 15 days after admission. In publications from 2021 to 2022, we found 21 children who were under 3 years of age at onset of ICA. None of them died, but two of three patients who had mASPECTS scores 0–8 showed developmental delay and/or epilepsy as neurological complications. CONCLUSION: Early CT findings are applicable for predicting survival and neurological outcomes of young children with intracranial hemorrhage. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12883-022-03022-4.