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Updated: May 13, 2026

Minimally Invasive Thumb-sized Pterional Craniotomy for Surgical Clip Ligation of Unruptured Anterior Circulation Aneurysms
Published on: August 11, 2015
One-stage dual-approach clipping for concomitant ipsilateral true and junctional posterior communicating artery
Shintaro Arai1, Yuta Sakuragi1, Ryo Irie2
1Department of Neurosurgery, Showa Medical University School of Medicine, Shinagawa-Ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Background:
True posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms are rare and technically demanding because of their deep location and close association with perforating arteries. When concomitant ipsilateral internal carotid artery (ICA)-PCoA and true PCoA aneurysms are present, a single anterior surgical corridor may not provide sufficient visualization of the posterior PCoA complex.
Methods:
We describe a one-stage combined microsurgical strategy that integrates pterional and subtemporal approaches to achieve complementary visualization of the PCoA cistern. The anatomical rationale, operative sequence, and indications are presented and supported by a representative case of perforator adherence to the aneurysm dome.
Results:
The pterional approach enabled secure proximal control and treatment of the ICA-PCoA aneurysm, whereas the subtemporal approach provided direct lateral and posterior views of the true PCoA aneurysm and its perforators. This combined strategy allowed perforator-preserving clip application and complete obliteration of the aneurysm without ischemic or venous complications.
Conclusion:
In selected cases of concomitant ipsilateral ICA-PCoA and true PCoA aneurysms, a one-stage combined pterional and subtemporal approach overcomes the visual limitations of the anterior corridors alone and enables safe, perforator-preserving microsurgical treatment.
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