Oscillation of Wall Shear Stress in Growing Intracranial Aneurysms: A Case Study

Hemodynamics is thought to influence the initiation, growth, and rupture of intracranial aneurysms. While there seems to be general consensus that high wall shear stress results in the initiation of intracranial aneurysms, the hemodynamic conditions that drive the development of aneurysms after initiation are still not completely elucidated. High wall shear stress has been postulated to account for aneurismal progression from the distal neck where flow impinges, whereas low wall shear stress has been associated with aneurysm growth in the dome.¹