[Are calcium channel blockers really useful in cerebral aneurysm surgery?]

Two retrospective series of early operated cerebral arterial aneurysms are compared. One series involves 74 patients treated from 1983 to 1987 by vascular volume expansion only. The other series involves 75 patients treated from 1987 to 1990 by vascular volume expansion associated by calcium antagonists (nimodipine or nicardipine). The conclusion is that in our experience, calcium antagonists do not improve the outcome (mortality, cognition findings and return to work) obtained by vascular volume expansion alone. Moreover they put forward that there is no difference between the patients treated by nimodipine and those treated by nicardipine.