Vascular anomalies associated with aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery: microsurgical observations

Abstract

Direct operations were performed on 206 patients with aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery (ACoA) using a bifrontal craniotomy and an interhemispheric approach. A total of 44 (21.4%) of these patients had vascular anomalies in the vicinity of the ACoA; these included a median artery of the corpus callosum (MACC) in 27 cases (13.1%), duplication of the ACoA in 20 (9.7%), and duplication of the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery in one (0.5%). A retrospective study of the angiograms indicated that diagnosis of the A1 or ACoA duplication was not possible; only 11 (41%) of the 27 MACC's were easily identified, while eight (30%) could not be diagnosed. The majority of the cases of ACoA aneurysms with MACC (81.5%) showed trifurcation of the ACoA, A2, and MACC. The operative results in the patients with MACC did not differ significantly from the results of the entire ACoA aneurysm series. From the above study it is concluded that, regardless of whether a vascular anomaly has been identified preoperatively, ACoA aneurysm surgery should be undertaken with that possibility in mind. A bifrontal craniotomy and an interhemispheric approach has the advantage of allowing for a wide operative field and the attainment of a good understanding of the vascular structures near the ACoA. It is particularly useful in cases of vascular anomaly in this region.