The outcome of early surgical management of ruptured posterior circulation aneurysms

Since 1990, early surgery within 3 days following subarachnoid hemorrhage has been performed routinely in our hospital even for ruptured posterior circulation aneurysms. Our experience with early surgical management of 25 patients with posterior circulation aneurysms, including two patients who underwent endovascular surgery, is reported. Fourteen patients had an aneurysm on the basilar, the posterior cerebral or superior cerebellar artery (BA), and 11 patients had an aneurysm on the vertebral or posterior inferior cerebellar artery (VA). The mortality and morbidity of the BA group were 7% and 29%, respectively, and those of the VA group were 27% and 9%, respectively. In BA, the incidence of symptomatic vasospasm and hydrocephalus was definitely high compared with VA, and the outcome in elderly patients was significantly unfavorable. Early surgery for posterior circulation aneurysms to prevent rebleeding might be considered in selected cases.