Clipping of Incidental Aneurysm of Middle Cerebral Artery Through Small Temporal Craniotomy and Linear Skin Incision

The authors introduced a new approach for clipping of the incidental aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and reported the clinical results. We retrospectively reviewed 26 patients with 27 incidental MCA aneurysms who were treated from January 2010 to December 2012. All clippings were performed through a small temporal craniotomy and linear skin incision. Follow-up imaging showed complete occlusion of 26 aneurysms (96.3%), residual neck in one (3.7%). In one case, residual neck of the aneurysm did not grow on serial follow up. In one of 26 cases (3.8%), approach-related complication was retraction injury of the temporal cortex. Two patients developed postoperative infarction on the MCA territories due to vasospasm and on the cerebellum due to unknown causes. These were not approach-related complications. Operation time was 95 min-250 min (mean 143 min). There were no complications of temporal muscle atrophy, scar deformity, paresthesia, or pain around the scalp incision and frontalis palsy. This approach offers good surgical possibilities and little approach related morbidity in the clipping of incidental MCA aneurysms.

Surgical Treatment of Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms

The authors report their experience with 73 cases of unruptured cerebral aneurysms in a consecutive series of intracranial microsurgery for 380 cerebral aneurysms in 307 patients from September, 1975 through March, 1984. Multiple, symptomatic, and incidental aneurysms are included in this group of 73 unruptured aneurysms. There was no mortality among fifty nine of these cases who had surgery. The only morbidity was due to massive postoperative vasospasm in a patient with multiple aneurysms, that developed on the site of ruptured aneurysm. Discussed in this report are characteristics of three categories of unruptured cerebral aneurysm patients and the principles of the management of unruptured aneurysms. In conclusion, all symptomatic unruptured aneurysms should be clipped immediately upon definite diagnosis, while decision for the operation of multiple unruptured aneurysms and aneurysms detected incidentally should be made with discretion by the surgeon.