Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2026
Minimally Invasive Thumb-sized Pterional Craniotomy for Surgical Clip Ligation of Unruptured Anterior Circulation Aneurysms
Published on: August 11, 2015
Is extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery effective in certain patients?
Sepideh Amin-Hanjani1, Fady T Charbel
1Department of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Neuropsychiatric Institute (MC 799), Chicago, IL 60612, USA. hanjani@uic.edu
Insights
Extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery offers diverse options for cerebral revascularization. This review examines EC-IC bypass effectiveness for flow replacement in complex cases and flow augmentation for cerebral ischemia.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Vascular Surgery
- Neurology
Background:
- Cerebral revascularization is crucial for managing various cerebrovascular conditions.
- Extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery is a key technique.
- Multiple surgical approaches exist, varying in donor/recipient vessels and techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effectiveness of EC-IC bypass operations.
- To categorize indications for EC-IC bypass: flow replacement and flow augmentation.
- To discuss factors influencing the choice of bypass strategy.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on EC-IC bypass.
- Analysis of different surgical techniques and vessel utilization.
- Evaluation of outcomes for specific clinical indications.
Main Results:
- EC-IC bypass can be tailored using various vessels, grafts, and anastomotic methods.
- Indications are broadly classified into flow replacement (aneurysms, tumors) and flow augmentation (ischemia).
- The selection of a specific bypass strategy depends on surgical goals and vessel availability.
Conclusions:
- EC-IC bypass surgery provides versatile solutions for cerebrovascular diseases.
- The choice of surgical approach is individualized based on patient-specific factors and intended outcomes.
- Further evaluation of EC-IC bypass effectiveness for distinct indications is supported.
Abstract:
Cerebral revascularization can be performed through a variety of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass operations, using several different donor and recipient vessels, interposition grafts, and anastomotic techniques. The choice of bypass option is dependent on many factors, including the goals of the operation and the availability and accessibility of particular donor and recipient vessels. Potential indications for EC-IC bypass fall into two major categories: (1) flow replacement, in the treatment of complex aneurysms or tumors that require vessel sacrifice and (2) flow augmentation, for treatment of cerebral ischemia. The effectiveness of EC-IC bypass for these indications is reviewed in this article.