Transpetrous Clip Occlusion of a Giant Midbasilar Aneurysm Using Hypothermic Cardiac Arrest: 2-Dimensional Operative...

Basilar trunk aneurysms are historically associated with extremely high morbidity. The complexity of circumflex perforator arteries responsible for the perfusion of the brainstem makes surgical intervention for these lesions particularly challenging. This patient had a giant midbasilar aneurysm that encompassed multiple perforators but was associated with progressive mass effect and debilitating morbidity. Therefore, a transpetrous approach was used with transposition of the facial nerve and sacrifice of the vestibulocochlear nerve to permit access to the aneurysm. Hypothermic cardiac arrest was used to permit dome manipulation with a tandem fenestrated clipping of the aneurysm. Postoperative imaging demonstrated a reduction in mass effect attributable to the significantly reduced dome size and persistence of flow via a reconstructed basilar trunk. The patient gave informed consent for surgery and video recording. Institutional review board approval was deemed unnecessary. Used with permission from Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona.