Multiple intracranial aneurysms: a high risk condition

Abstract

There is still a relative silence in the literature on what policy should be followed in treating multiple aneurysms. The main risks are: bleeding of a formerly asymptomatic aneurysm during the haemodynamic tides of the peri-operative period; aneurysm(s) can be hidden on angiograms and tend to be overlooked easier in case of an already revealed aneurysm; misjudgement of the ruptured one as a silent additional aneurysm, therefore left for second stage surgery. This paper, based on a material of 330 operations for multiple aneurysms, focuses on these problems. It advocates the one stage complete repair of all lesions using both options of bilateral pterional craniotomies or the contralateral approach. But it also describes those silent aneurysms which safely could be clipped later. Hazards and disadvantages concerning the more aggressive surgery proved to be less significant than the natural history of multiple aneurysms represents.