Treatment Modalities of Complex Anterior Circulation Intracranial Aneurysms

Abstract

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) are defined as an acquired dilatation of intracranial arteries which are typically discovered at the arterial branching sites near the base of the skull. Formation and possible rupture of an IA is a multifactorial event in which only some of the intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors have been identified so far.1 When an IA ruptures, it causes a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). An aneurysmal SAH is a devastating event associated with a cumulative mortality of up to 50% at 6 months. An aneurysmal SAH accounts for 5 to 10% of strokes, however as the disease strikes at a fairly young age for strokes (50–60 years) and is often fatal, there is a marked loss of productive life years which is similar to that for cerebral infarction and intracerebral haemorrhage.1 Earlier, the treatment of IAs focused almost exclusively on patients with ruptured aneurysms. Now, due to the increase of the numbers of un-ruptured IAs being identified by new imaging methods, preventive treatment of un-ruptured IAs has become of same importance.1