September 1, 1975Journal of neurosurgery
Ligation of the vertebral (unilateral or bilateral) or basilar artery in the treatment of large intracranial aneurysms
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Case series reveals favorable thrombosis and recovery after vertebral artery ligation in vertebrobasilar aneurysm patients, highlighting selective occlusion as a viable therapeutic strategy.
Key Points
- To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and therapeutic efficacy of unilateral, bilateral, or basilar artery ligation in the treatment of large vertebrobasilar intracranial aneurysms.
- Analyzed clinical outcomes in 14 patients treated with extracranial (n=6; 3 unilateral, 3 bilateral) or intracranial (n=8 unilateral) vertebral artery ligation.
- Evaluated 7 patients undergoing deliberate (n=5) or rescue (n=2) basilar artery occlusion.
- Unilateral intracranial vertebral artery occlusion produced complete or near-complete aneurysm thrombosis in 7 of 8 cases with no procedural morbidity, yielding good or excellent outcomes in 7 patients.
- Extracranial vertebral ligation showed mixed success, achieving thrombosis when collateral flow was minimal but failing or requiring clamp release when bilateral collateral flow maintained aneurysm filling.
- Basilar artery occlusion induced aneurysm thrombosis but proved hazardous, with complete recovery achieved in only 3 of 7 patients (2 of 5 planned, 1 of 2 emergency occlusions).
Cite This Study
Charles G. Drake (1975) studied this question.