Charcot–Bouchard aneurysms are most often located in the lenticulostriate vessels of the basal ganglia and are associated with chronic hypertension.

In diabetic retinopathy, due to breakdown in blood–retinal barrier, microaneurysms may leak plasma constituents into the retina, or it may thrombose.

Common locations of hypertensive hemorrhages include the putamen, caudate, thalamus, pons, and cerebellum.

[citation needed] As with any aneurysm, once formed they have a tendency to expand and eventually rupture, in keeping with the Law of Laplace.

[5] Retinal microaneurysms can be diagnosed using ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, FFA, and OCT.[6] Charcot–Bouchard aneurysms are named for the French physicians Jean-Martin Charcot and Charles-Joseph Bouchard.