Surgical repair of clinoidal segment carotid artery aneurysms unsuitable for endovascular treatment

OBJECTIVE: Clinoidal segment carotid artery aneurysms are surgically challenging lesions. The aneurysm neck originates proximal to the distal dural ring, and the aneurysms typically are larger. Therefore, endovascular techniques are often considered to be the primary treatment option. Treatment techniques and results for 40 clinoidal segment carotid artery aneurysms that were considered unsuitable for contemporary endovascular intervention are analyzed in this report. METHODS: Forty aneurysms in 33 female and 3 male patients were treated surgically. Fifteen patients had bilateral aneurysms; of these patients, four underwent bilateral craniotomies. Twenty-seven aneurysms were 10 to 14 mm in size, eight were 15 to 24 mm, and five were more than 25 mm. The most common presentation was visual loss, which occurred in 13 patients. Seven patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. RESULTS: Thirty-seven aneurysms were directly repaired with clipping, two were trapped with bypass, and one was trapped without bypass. The complication rate was 10%, with one major stroke, two minor strokes, and one successfully treated brain abscess. CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment of clinoidal segment carotid artery aneurysms can produce acceptable outcomes. Specific preoperative and intraoperative techniques facilitate improved surgical results for aneurysms that are not treatable with contemporary endovascular techniques.