Summary
The series studied comprises all 851 patients with symptom-producing intracranial saccular aneurysms admitted to the departments of neurosurgery in Denmark in the five-year period of 1970–1974. The series was divided into seven clinical stages according to Hunt's classification. More than half of the patients were grouped in stages IV and V (Hunt grade 2–3). Of the patients, 76% were found primarily suitable for operation. The mortality within the individual stages was to a great extent independent of the time of operation.
A total of 94% of the aneurysms were localized within the region of the carotid artery, with a roughly equal distribution among the internal carotid, anterior communicating, and middle cerebral arteries. Multiple aneurysms were found in 19% of the patients subjected to panangiography.
There was a distinct correlation between the severity of the spasms and the clinical condition. The course of operation was complicated in 49% of the patients, the complications being equally distributed within the various clinical stages. The mortality for the patients who underwent operation (total 567) was 32%, and 80% of the deaths were due to direct or indirect consequences of aneurysmal bleeding.
At the follow-up performed two to seven years after operation, 52% of the survivors were fully capacitated, 20% were partly capacitated, and 28% were incapacitated. Based on a retrospective analysis, we have started a comprehensive prospective study with registration of available parameters in patients with saccular aneurysms admitted to all departments of neurosurgery in Denmark.
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Rasmussen, P., Busch, H., Haase, J. et al. Intracranial saccular aneurysms results of treatment in 851 patients. Acta neurochir 53, 1–17 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02074516
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02074516