Electroconvulsive therapy after repair of cerebral aneurysm

There are cases in the literature describing the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with intracerebral aneurysms. We report the clinical course of a 60-year-old woman with a history of a recently ruptured intracerebral aneurysm and placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt that was successfully treated with ECT for major depressive disorder. Beta blockade with esmolol 20-50 mg was used to maintain her blood pressure, which ranged from 100/63 to 170/94 mm Hg. Propofol was used for anesthesia. There were no vascular complications secondary to the ECT procedure.