Clinical Characteristics and Outcome of Patients With Intraoperative Aneurysm Rupture: A Retrospective Cohort Study From Nepal

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Intraoperative aneurysm rupture (IAR) is a significant complication during microsurgical clipping of cerebral aneurysms. The timing of rupture during surgery, morphology of the aneurysm, and strategies to mitigate risk are the key factors that influence the outcome. METHODS: Consecutive patients with the diagnosis of ruptured cerebral aneurysms were retrospectively reviewed at a single University Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Variables analyzed included age, sex, presenting symptoms, Hunt and Hess grades, the location of aneurysms, the timing of surgery, and intraoperative rupture status. Outcomes were assessed at 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 199 patients with 231 ruptured cerebral aneurysms from July 2014 to December 2022 were reviewed. Surgery was performed within 3 days in 60 (30.1%) patients. Twenty aneurysms ruptured intraoperatively in 20 patients (10% per patient and 8.6% per aneurysm). Patients with IAR were significantly younger (mean age 52 years) than those without IAR (mean age 58 years) (P < .001, 95% CI: 3.72-8.28). There was no difference in IAR rate in early vs late surgery. Anterior communicating artery complex aneurysms were noted as the most common. However, posterior inferior cerebellar and posterior cerebral artery aneurysms had the highest IAR rate, albeit with the smallest total number. Rupture during dissection was noted in 10 (50%) and during clipping in 9 (45%) procedures. Strategies for handling IAR included direct definitive clip application in 9, temporary clip-aided permanent clipping in 8, and trapping of the parent vessel in 1 patient. Although postoperative complications were significantly higher in the IAR group (P < .000129), the neurological outcomes using the modified Rankin scale in 6 months were similar (P = .877). CONCLUSION: The demographic and clinical characteristics and rates of IAR in our patient population are similar to those in the contemporary literature. In patients with IAR, the outcome is not worse than those without IAR.