Change of Management Results in Good-grade Aneurysm Patients

Ahn, Song Ho; Kang, Sung Don; Kim, Jong Moon

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The present study attempts to address the change of management results over time during the past 13 years in good-grade patients with intracranial aneurysm.
METHODS
Six hundred twenty five (Hunt-Hess grade I to III) out of 826 patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms operated by the same operator within 3 days after the attack from 1990 to 2002 were selected. Since 1998, endovascular aneurysmal occlusion was done in selected cases of 21 patients. The change of management results over time, including rebleeding rate, delayed ischemic neurologic deficit(DIND) as a cause of morbidity and mortality, and surgical outcome were examined.
RESULTS
The ratio of poor-grade patients in all patients tended to decrease over the years. The early rebleeding rate declined from 5.0% to 1.2% with the use of tranexamic acid and computed tomography angiogram DIND as a cause of mortality and morbidity has decreased from 12.5% in 1990 to approximately 0% currently. Surgical outcome began to improve significantly in 1994 (poor outcome: 25% in 1990, 12.2% in 1994, 6.8% in 2002).
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that the advances in care and increased experience of the operator significantly affect the change of overall outcome, and early detection of the aneurysm is needed for reducing the ratio of poor-grade patients.