A baby girl who developed congestive heart failure at 3 days of age and was shown to have an aneurysm of the vein of Galen is reported from the Dept Child Health, The Queen’s Univ Belfast, Royal Maternity Hosp and Dept Radiology, Royal Victoria Hosp, Belfast. Treatment by embolization with helical stainless steel coils inserted along the straight sinus occluded the aneurysm. Postoperatively, recovery was rapid, the cranial bruit disappeared, and medical treatment for heart failure was discontinued. At 21 mo follow-up, the heart and head circumferences, and growth and development were normal. [1]
COMMENT. In this case non-surgical treatment was successful. Ischemic brain lesions resulting from a steal phenomenon directing blood toward the aneurysm, as reported by Norman and Becker [2], did not result.