Long-term prognosis in surgically treated intracranial aneurysms. Part 1: Mortality

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Vascular Neurology

Background:

• Intracranial aneurysms represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.
• Effective prognostic assessment is crucial for guiding treatment decisions and patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate mortality rates and identify causes of death in patients with intracranial aneurysms.
• To determine the influence of preoperative and postoperative factors, individually and in combination, on patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 265 consecutive cases of intracranial aneurysm.
• Analysis of preoperative factors (e.g., age, hypertension, neurological status) and postoperative complications (e.g., vasospasm).
• Assessment of factors in isolation and in combination to evaluate their impact on mortality.

Main Results:

• Overall mortality rate was 20%.
• Postoperative generalized vasospasm was identified as the leading cause of mortality.
• Advanced age, pre-existing hypertension, and poor preoperative neurological condition were associated with adverse outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Postoperative vasospasm is a critical determinant of mortality following intracranial aneurysm treatment.
• Prognostic assessment should integrate multiple clinical variables concurrently for improved accuracy.
• Combined analysis of factors offers a more comprehensive understanding of patient outcomes than isolated variable assessment.