Management-related morbidity in unselected aneurysms of the upper basilar artery

Abstract

A series of 49 consecutively treated patients with 52 aneurysms of the upper basilar artery (BA) is presented. Thirty-nine aneurysms arose at the BA bifurcation, 11 at the origin of the superior cerebellar artery (SCA), and two from the upper BA trunk just below the SCA. The patient population consisted of 36 women and 13 men, with a mean age of 50 years (range 23-74 years). Of the 35 patients presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage, 10 were Grade I, 10 were Grade II, 11 were Grade III, and four were Grade IV according to the Hunt and Hess scale. Treatment consisted of aneurysm neck clipping in 28, proximal occlusion of the BA in three, and endovascular therapy with coils in four patients. The remaining 14 patients with unruptured aneurysms underwent direct neck clipping. Postoperatively, 38 patients developed diplopia in at least one direction of gaze but this had resolved in 31 of them at the last follow-up evaluation. There were four deaths (8.2%): two as a result of rebleeding following coil compaction at 8 days and 9 months posttreatment, respectively; one as a result of vasospasm; and one as a result of brainstem infarction after proximal occlusion of the BA in a giant bifurcation aneurysm. Of the surviving patients, 33 (67.3%) made an excellent recovery, seven (14.3%) made a good recovery, and five (10.2%) were in poor condition at the last follow-up review. Direct microsurgical clipping of most aneurysms of the BA apex region can be performed with acceptable rates of morbidity. These data from an unselected series of patients in a general hospital provide a basis for comparison with developing alternative techniques.