Walsh & Hoyt: Definitions

Aneurysms are persistent, localized dilations of the wall of a vessel. They may be classified by shape as either saccular or nonsaccular. Saccular aneurysms are pouchlike dilations that usually affect only a portion of the vessel wall. Initially called ""miliary aneurysms"" by Virchow and Charcot, these lesions subsequently were called ""berry aneurysms"" because of their ""shining coats and rounded outlines."" Most ""berry"" aneurysms have a wide base of origin an important anatomic point in surgical treatment. Nonsaccular aneurysms are often called fusiform or serpentine. When an artery is significantly enlarged and tortuous, the vessel is said to be dolichoectatic.