ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive factors for visual and ischemic complications after open surgery for paraclinoid aneurysms of the internal carotid artery (ICA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight consecutive patients with unruptured paraclinoid aneurysms of ICA operated on between 2009 and 2013 were included in this study. The male:female ratio was 6:32 and the ages ranged from 33 to 81 (mean: 60 ± 2). Twenty cases were asymptomatic and 18 had ophthalmological symptoms. The sizes of the aneurysms ranged from 2 to 35 mm (mean: 10.6 ± 9 mm). Twenty-three patients were treated by clipping and 15 by trapping with bypass (high-flow bypass in 11, and low-flow in 4). Twenty-four patients underwent removal of the anterior clinoid process. Among them, 8 underwent en bloc anterior clinoidectomy with a high-speed drill, and 16 had piecemeal excision with a microrongeur or ultrasonic bone curette. Intraoperative monitoring was performed using motor-evoked potentials (MEP) and visual-evoked potentials (VEP) in 27 and 15 cases, respectively. RESULTS: Complete obliteration of the aneurysm was achieved in 37 cases (97.4 %). The patency rate of bypass was 100 %. Postoperative worsening of visual acuity, including one case of blindness, was observed in six cases (11 %). Worsening of visual field defects occurred in 14 cases (38 %), but 10 of them were transient. Transient oculomotor nerve palsy occurred in six cases (15 %). Postoperative stroke was detected by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in five cases (13 %), four of which were symptomatic. Statistical analysis showed that piecemeal anterior clinoidectomy was significantly safer than en bloc removal in preserving visual function. Trapping with high-flow bypass had a significantly greater risk of postoperative stroke than direct clipping. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative VEP monitoring might be useful for preventing postoperative worsening of visual function. Two-stage treatment with bypass and endovascular trapping might be safer than single-stage trapping alone.
