Outcome of 337 intracranial aneurysms patients operated in a public hospital

Intracranial aneurysms in Sarawak General Hospital over a 30-month period

This is a prospective study conducted from February 2000 to July 2002 in a single neurosurgeon neurosurgical service in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. There were 66 cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage or intracranial aneurysm presenting to this hospital over the study period. Fifty cases had their aneurysms clipped. Eighty percent of our patients were operated within 48 h of presentation. Forty-four percent presented with poor WFNS grades of 4 and 5. We had a 20% operative mortality and 29% total management mortality. Twenty-nine (58%) of the operated cases had a favorable outcome with a mean follow-up of 32 weeks. Multiple aneurysms were less common. The diagnosis of aneuysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and clipping of aneurysms have increased dramatically over the previous two and half years indicating an increased awareness of the diagnosis and treatment. This series supports the previously reported beliefs that the lower rate of aneurymal subarachnoid hemorrhage in developing countries is likely due to both underdiagnosis and undertreatment. Good results can be achieved in developing countries with early diagnosis and intensive management.

Aneurisma paraclinóideo: técnica cirúrgica e resultados em 51 pacientes

Analisam-se 51 pacientes portadores de 55 aneurismas paraclinóideos (APC) submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico. Em decorrência de tratar-se de procedimento de alta complexidade, descrevemos em pormenor os seus aspectos técnicos. O processo clinóideo anterior foi removido por via extradural após secção da duplicação dural da tenda da fissura orbitária superior e/ou por via intradural. Conseguiu-se exclusão do APC nos 51 pacientes. Em dois casos a clipagem foi parcial e, em três, ocorreu oclusão da ACI. Em 42 (82%) pacientes ocorreu bom resultado; em 5 (10%), incapacidade moderada; em 1 (2%), incapacidade grave e três (6%) faleceram por infarto cerebral. Sete (13,7%) pacientes tiveram lesão adicional do nervo óptico, sendo parcial em 4 (7,7%) e total em 3 (6%).

Factors influencing the outcome after the operative treatment of cerebral aneurysms of anterior circulation

BACKGROUND

The influence of various factors on the outcome after the operative occlusion of the cerebral aneurysm was to be defined through the retrospective study on 111 surgically treated patients with aneurysm of anterior cerebral circulation.

METHODS

Preoperative clinical condition was graded from 0 to V, according to Hunt & Hess. Postoperative outcome, defined as good or bad according to modified Glasgow Outcome Scale, was correlated in homogenous experimental groups with the following factors: gender, age, aneurysmal size, preoperative interval, nimodipine therapy, experience of surgical team and existence of chronic vascular diseases.

RESULTS

Surgical outcome was good in 74.4% of males and 71.4% of females (p > 0.05); in 83.3% of patients with and 41.2% of patients without chronic diseases (p < 0.01); in 71.4% of patients underwent early, 83.3% of ones underwent postponed and 85% of those underwent late surgery (p > 0.05); in 81.5% of patients treated by nimodipine and in 41.7% of those untreated by the same drug (p < 0.01); in 78.9% of patients operated by the experienced surgical team and in 40% of those operated by less experienced surgical team (p < 0.01). In patients with both good and bad outcome, the mean age was 50.6 and 47.6 years (p > 0.05), and the mean aneurysmal size was 12.3 mm and 13.3 mm, respectively (p > 0.05). Before rupture, the mean size for aneurysms on the bifurcation of the middle cerebral artery was 14.3 mm, and for posterior communicating artery aneurysms only 9.7 mm (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Surgical outcome was significantly influenced by the existence of chronic diseases, nimodipine therapy and experience of surgical team, whereas gender, age, timing for surgery and aneurysmal size were not of significant influence.