Supraorbital vs pterional keyhole for anterior circulation aneurysms: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The supraorbital approach is a modification of the traditional pterional approach, and it offers the benefits of a shorter skin incision and a smaller craniotomy than the pterional approach. The purpose of this systemic review study was to compare the two surgical approaches for raptured and unruptured anterior cerebral circulation aneurysms.

We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, and MEDLINE, up to August 2021, for published studies on the supraorbital vs pterional keyhole approach for anterior cerebral circulation aneurysms, and reviewers performed a brief qualitative descriptive analysis of both approaches.

Fourteen eligible studies were included in this systemic review. Results indicated that the supraorbital approach for anterior cerebral circulation aneurysms had fewer ischemic events compared to pterional approach. However, no significant difference between both groups in terms of complications such as intraoperative aneurysm rupture, brain hematoma, and postoperative infections for ruptured aneurysms.

The meta-analysis suggests that the supraorbital method for clipping anterior cerebral circulation aneurysms might be a viable alternative to the traditional pterional method as the supraorbital group had decreased ischemic events compared to the pterional group, however, the associated difficulties in utilizing this approach among ruptured aneurysms with cerebral oedema and midline shifts further needs to be understood.