Nuances of middle cerebral artery aneurysm microsurgery

Middle cerebral artery aneurysms, a common source of subarachnoid hemorrhage, occur predominantly at the main bifurcation of the middle cerebral artery. Microsurgical clipping is the most effective treatment of these aneurysms because of their peripheral location, wide necks, and straightforward surgical anatomy. Despite the moderate technical requirements of this type of surgery, patients with ruptured aneurysms often have poor outcomes because of the high incidence of intracerebral hematomas. Although several different surgical approaches can be used, we favor a lateral-to-medial transsylvian approach for most aneurysms. This description of our surgical technique stresses minimizing retraction to avoid injury to the brain and preparing broad-based middle cerebral artery aneurysms for clipping. Management of outcomes when using these techniques also is presented.