Microsurgery for Multiple Intracranial Aneurysms

Abstract

Background: A total of 23 patients with 52 aneurysms were surgically treated in single surgery at a Neurosurgical Service of the Health Service of the State of São Paulo from 2009 to 2011. Method: Retrospective analysis of patients undergoing clipping of two or more cerebral aneurysms in a single stage, from January 2007 to July 2012. Results: Twenty-nine patients underwent two or more clipping cerebral aneurysms in a single surgery – 28 with a single craniotomy and one through two craniotomies. Of these, 20, 7, 1 and 1 were submitted to the clipping of 2, 3, 4 and 5 cerebral aneurysms, respectively. Five were male and 24 were female, and the age range was 40 to 66-years-old. Eight left craniotomies were performed to approach 17 lateralized brain aneurysms to the left and five to the right, as well as three anterior communicating complex aneurysms. Twelve craniotomies were performed on the right to approach 23 intracranial aneurysms lateralized to the right and six on the left, as well as 15 anterior communicating artery complex aneurysms and 1 on the basilar artery. Of the 29 patients, 28 evolved with 1-3 pts and only one with 4-5 pts on the Rankin scale, six months after surgery. Conclusion: We advocate microsurgical approach for most of the cases of multiple intracranial aneurysms aiming the microsurgical clipping of all intracranial aneurysms if feasible through a single stage and a single craniotomy.