Clipping of the Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm without Sylvian Fissure Dissection

A Novel Surgical Classification of the Sylvian Fissure and Its Implications on the Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Clipping for Unruptured Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysms

BACKGROUND

The main access route for middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms is the transsylvian approach. Although Sylvian fissure (SF) variations have been assessed, none have examined how this affects MCA aneurysm surgery. The objective of this study is to investigate how SF variants affect clinical and radiological outcomes for surgically-treated unruptured MCA aneurysms.

METHODS

This retrospective study examined consecutive unruptured MCA aneurysms in 101 patients undergoing SF dissection and aneurysm clipping. SF anatomical variants were categorized using a novel functional anatomical classification: Type I: Wide straight, Type II: Wide with frontal and/or temporal opercula herniation, Type III: Narrow straight, and Type IV: Narrow with frontal and/or temporal opercula herniation. The relationships between SF variants and postoperative edema, ischemia, hemorrhage, vasospasm, and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) were analyzed.

RESULTS

Study included 101 patients (53.5% women), 60.9 ± 9.4 (range 24-78) years. SF types were 29.7% Type I, 19.8% Type II, 35.6% Type III, and 14.9% Type IV. The SF type with the highest proportion of females was Type IV (n = 11, 73.3%), while it was Type III for males (n = 23, 63.9%) (P = 0.03). There were significant differences between SF types, ischemia, and edema (P < 0.001, P = 0.008, respectively). Although narrow SF types had poorer GOS scores (P = 0.055), there were no significant differences between SF types and GOS, postoperative hemorrhage, vasospasm, or hospital stay.

CONCLUSIONS

Sylvian fissure variants may impact intraoperative complications during aneurysm surgery. Thus, presurgical determination of SF variants can predict surgical difficulties, thereby potentially reducing morbidity for patients with MCA aneurysms and other pathologies requiring SF dissection.

Performance of language tasks in patients with ruptured aneurysm of the left hemisphere worses in the post-surgical evaluation

ABSTRACT Sub-arachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) promotes impairment of upper cortical functions. However, few information is available emphasizing changes in language after aneurismal SAH and aneurysm location influence. Objective To assess the language and verbal fluency performance in aneurismal SAH pre- and post-surgery in patients caused by an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery (AcomA), left middle cerebral artery (L-MCA) and left posterior comunicating artery (L-PcomA). Methods Assessment in 79 patients with SAH, on two occasions: pre- and post surgical treatment. They were divided into three groups by the aneurysms’ location. Results Deterioration is detected in the performance of all patients during the post-surgical period; L-MCA aneurysm patients displayed a reduction in verbal naming and fluency; L-PcomA patients deteriorated in the written language and fluency tasks. Conclusion After the surgical procedure the patients decreased in various language tasks and these differences in performance being directly related to the location of the aneurysm.