Profound hypothermia and circulatory arrest with skull base approaches for treatment of complex posterior circulation aneurysms.

Objective: Cardiopulmonary bypass with profound hypothermia and circulatory arrest has seen a resurgence as an adjunct technique in neurological surgery. We report our experience with this technique in treating seven complex vertebro-basilar aneurysms.

Methods: Skull base approaches were used in all cases, providing excellent exposure and minimizing brain retraction.