Epilepsy after operation for aneurysms

The authors reviewed 100 consecutive survivors of aneurysm operations and identified 3 patients who developed postoperative epilepsy. The use of prophylactic phenytoin in the first 67 cases did not seem to influence the patient's risk of developing epilepsy. It is concluded that with present microneurosurgical techniques the risk of postoperative epilepsy is small and unselective use of phenytoin prophylaxis should be reconsidered.