Surgical management of aneurysms in the cavernous sinus

A series of 32 patients with aneurysms in the cavernous sinus region is presented. All of them have been operated upon through an intradural pterional approach and the aneurysms directly attacked. Only in 6 patients was the complete dissection of the internal carotid artery and of the aneurysm impossible because of the size of the aneurysms. In these cases the aneurysm has been traped by ligation of the internal carotid artery in the neck and its supraclinoid course and at the same time and extracranial intracranial anastomosis performed. One patient died from massive cerebral infarction after a trapping procedure and another died from a transoperative haemorrhage; another two developed a moderate hemiparesis which resolved within the first six postoperative weeks, and in two patients a preoperative severe visual impairment progressed postoperatively to complete visual loss. All others had a complete resolution of their preoperative symptoms and remained well. The advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches to intracavernous carotid artery aneurysms are discussed and the related literature reviewed.