Surgical treatment of middle cerebral artery aneurysms

The authors report their experience with the surgical therapy of middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms in 413 cases, and describe their technique. After the M1 portion of the MCA is identified, the Sylvian fissure is opened. During the administration of 20% mannitol, temporary occluding clips are applied to the feeding and draining vessels of the aneurysm. The aneurysm is freed from all surrounding tissue, and the aneurysm neck is treated by ligation, clipping, or wrapping. Analysis of surgical results in 91 cases operated on after the surgical approach had become standardized indicates that more than 94% of patients have returned to useful social lives by the time of follow-up evaluation. Twenty-four percent of these patients were operated on within 48 hours after subarachnoid hemorrhage.