1977 Volume 17pt2 Issue 6 Pages 525-532
Fourty-eight cases over 60 years of age with the ruptured intracranial aneurysm were surgically treated. Satisfactory occlusion of the aneurysm with clipping of ligation was attained in 44 cases and plastic coating was performed in 4 cases.
In 3 cases with a large intracerebral hematoma, the early operation was carried out and 2 cases died of the gastrointestinal bleeding and progressive cerebral vasospasm after the operation.
In 45 cases, the operation was carried out more than 2 weeks after the subarachnoid hemorrhage. In 4 cases (9%), additional neurological symptoms developed after the operation and the occlusion of the main cerebral artery occured in 2 cases out of these cases related to the operative procedure. Three cases (7%) died of rebleeding due to the incomplete clipping, acute emphysema and agranulocytosis respectively.
Thirty-five cases were followed up for 3 months to 10 years. At the time of this follow-up study, 25 (71%) were either free from symptoms or only with minor neurological deficits. Seven cases (20%) had moderate to severe symptoms; 4 cases had complications noticed more than 1.5 months after the operation and considered to be unrelated to the surgical maneuvar, 2 cases had various neurological deficits exsisted before the operation and only one case had the deficit related to the operative procedure. Three cases (9%) had died of pulmonary carcinoma and pneumonia 3 months to 10 years after the operation.
Eighteen cases, including 10 cases over 65 years of age, were operated with microsurgical techniques more than 2 weeks after the bleeding. In this group, only one case died of agranulocytosis and no case became disabled.
These results indicate that the direct intracranial operation using microsurgical techniques should be the first choice of the treatment in aged patients who are able to make a daily living without any complaints and do not have severe complications before the bleeding. Furthermore, even when prolonged initial unconsciousness and arteriosclerosis of intracranial vessels are present, the operation can be performed safely by delicate procedures using microsurgical techniques.
