Endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms in relation to their parent artery wall: a single center study

We report our two-year experience in the endovascular treatment of brain aneurysms in relation to their parent artery wall. We prospectively recorded patients with intracranial aneurysms (107 ruptured - 38 unruptured) treated with coiling during a two-year period: 145 patients, 94 females and 51 males - mean age 56 years. The aneurysms were divided into side-wall (A) and bifurcation (B) groups. A total occlusion rate was noted in post-embolization angiograms in 101 aneurysms (70%) with a morbidity of 4%. No angiographic recurrence arose in the six-month follow-up. The two groups had a similar total occlusion rate (68.31% and 71.8% respectively), while the complication rate was 3% in group A and 4.7% in group B. Significant differences between the two groups were noted in the number of assisted coiling cases: 28 out of 60 cases (46.7%) in group A - 14 out of 85 cases (16.5%) in group B. Further statistical analysis showed strong dependencies for the type of endovascular procedure between the ruptured and unruptured aneurysms in both groups (p 0.000<0.05), but no dependencies between the aneurysm occlusion rate and the ruptured or non-ruptured aneurysms, or between the occlusion rate and the type of endovascular procedure (p 0.552>0.05 and 0.071>0.05 respectively). In conclusion, the anatomic relation of the aneurysm sac with the wall of the parent artery is important, as significant differences in endovascular practice, devices and techniques were noted between side-wall and bifurcation aneurysms.

Trans-Sylvian selective amygdalohippocampectomy for medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy: a single-centre experience

Selective amygdalohippocampectomy (SelAH) is now widely used in the surgical treatment of patients with medically intractable medial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). We present our single-centre experience of a uniform series of drug-resistant MTLE patients treated exclusively with SelAH. A retrospective study of 50 adult patients (25 males, 25 females, mean age 34 years) suffering from medically intractable MTLE was conducted. All patients has been investigated under the same protocol and operated by SelAH performed by one surgeon. Immediate and long-term follow-up was also available and is presented. Forty-two patients (84%) became seizure free (Engel's I); eight of them (16%) were classified as Engel's II; four (8%) as Engel's III; and one as Engel's IV (2%). In 42 of them the final result has been achieved after a single operation, while in the rest eight after a second or third surgical procedure. The mean follow-up period was 6.2 years. Two permanent complications (4%) with no treatment-related mortality have been detected. SelAH performed in well selected cases, where concordance between electrophysiological and MR findings exists, can be a safe and effective surgical treatment method for medically intractable MTLE.