[Minimally invasive surgery in intracranial aneurysms]

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Minimally Invasive Procedures
• Cerebrovascular Surgery

Background:

• Minimally invasive neurosurgery reduces peri-operative morbidity and hospital stay.
• The fronto-latero-basal (FLB) approach provides excellent exposure of anterior and middle fossa structures.
• FLB avoids extensive craniotomies and brain retractors for anterior circulation aneurysms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the outcomes of 27 patients undergoing aneurysm clipping using the FLB approach.
• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the FLB technique for anterior circulation aneurysms.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 27 patients (18 women, 9 men; average age 47.53 years).
• Patients were staged using the Hunt and Hess scale (0-IV).
• 29 anterior circulation aneurysms were clipped via the FLB approach.

Main Results:

• Aneurysms predominantly involved the internal carotid artery (16), middle cerebral artery (5), and anterior communicating artery (5).
• Successful clipping was achieved in 28 cases (96.5%) with an average operative time of 166.15 minutes.
• Two patients experienced mortality; most were discharged within 7.6 days with good prognosis.

Conclusions:

• The FLB approach yields optimal functional and aesthetic results in neurosurgery.
• This minimally invasive technique is feasible with standard neurosurgical instruments.
• FLB offers an effective alternative to traditional open surgeries for anterior circulation aneurysms.