Microsurgical treatment of basilar tip aneurysms: is it still acceptable?

Objective: Basilar tip aneurysms (BTAs) have a complex anatomy, making them difficult to treat. We describe our surgical results for BTAs.

Methods: From 2004 to 2015 (12 years), a total of 25 small BTAs and two giant BTAs were treated in the Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo.

Results: In 23 patients harboring aneurysms positioned anteriorly or straight, all aneurysms were clipped (complete exclusion in all on follow-up angiography). In two patients with posteriorly positioned aneurysms, there was residual neck. All patients submitted to surgical treatment of small aneurysms presented with late Glasgow Outcome Scale scores of 4 or 5. Two patients with giant aneurysms died.

Conclusion: Surgical treatment of these lesions may be accomplished with quite high success rates and low morbidity.