Ruptured aneurysm at the anterior wall of the internal carotid artery in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome

A 60 year-old woman, who had a 45-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome, presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured aneurysm at the anterior wall of the non-branching site of the right internal carotid artery. She underwent radical surgery on the day of onset. In light of the possibility of arterial dissection, we performed extracranial-intracranial bypass prior to careful exploration of the aneurysm. Based on the finding of saccular aneurysm, she ultimately underwent neck clipping of the aneurysm without complication. Postoperative course was uneventful, and she did not suffer from cerebral vasospasm. We recommend early surgical intervention in patients with aneurysmal SAH associated with SLE, while intrinsic pathologies of SLE such as fragile vascular structure and the risk for ischemic complication should be considered.