Introduction. Formation, growth, and rupture: the biology and physics of cerebral aneurysms

Abstract

his issue of Neurosurgical Focus addresses several of the important biological and genetic aspects of aneurysm formation. The reader will be exposed to the latest theories of aneurysm formation that invoke genetic predispositions and the role of inflammation and matrix metalloproteinases in the genesis of a cerebral aneurysm. Observational studies provide additional insight into the role of estrogen and other female sex steroids and tobacco use with respect to the evolution of multiple aneurysms.