Anterior and non-anterior ruptured aneurysms: memory and frontal lobe function performance following coiling

Abstract

Our aim was to compare memory and frontal function performance between two groups of patients treated with Guglielmi detachable coil (GDC) following intracranial ruptured aneurysm. The subgroups drawn following the localization of the aneurysm consisted of 19 patients presenting with anterior communicating artery aneurysms and 16 patients exhibiting middle cerebral artery and posterior communicating artery aneurysms. The 35 patients and 35 normal controls were administered extensive neuropsychological assessment. Additionally, a scale of qualitative changes of mood was presented to the patients and patients' relatives. The patients showed a better general performance on memory compared with the executive function performance, which was similarly impaired in both groups. We suggest that executive functions are more vulnerable to differently located lesions than memory functions.