Korean J Anesthesiol.  2001 Oct;41(4):510-517. 10.4097/kjae.2001.41.4.510.

Anesthetic Management of Patients with Intracranial Aneurysmal Rupture in Pregnancy: 5 cases reported

• Han ST
• Kim JH
• Min KT

• KMID: 2240023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2001.41.4.510

Abstract

Subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured intracranial aneurysm during pregnancy is rare but results in significant maternal and fetal mortality. The authors report 5 cases of anesthetic experience with pregnant patients undergoing a surgical aneurysmal clipping out of 2,100 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhages due to a ruptured cerebral aneurysm from 1972 until May 2001. All of the patients were diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage by a brain CT and cerebral angiography. Anesthetic modality and surgical timing should be adjusted by gestational age and the physiologic changes which accompany the pregnancy and the potential risks to the fetus from investigating and treating the mother. Anesthetic goals for this patient include maintenance of uteroplacental perfusion, and fetal as well as maternal well-being. We gave a general anesthesia with isoflurane-nitrous oxide and fentanyl. The patients were monitored with standard monitorings for surgical repair of a cerebral aneurysm and perioperative fetal heart monitoring. All of the five patients recovered well from the surgical aneurysmal repair. After surgical aneurysmal repair, 4 patients maintained their pregnancies and had their babies delivered at term through a cesarean section in 3 patients and transvagina in 1 patient. However, 1 patient who presented persisting hypertension experienced an intrauterine fetal death at 25 weeks of gestational age.

Keyword

neurosurgical; pregnancy; aneurysm

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia, General
Aneurysm
Brain
Cerebral Angiography
Cesarean Section
Female
Fentanyl
Fetal Death
Fetal Heart
Fetal Mortality
Fetus
Gestational Age
Humans
Hypertension
Intracranial Aneurysm*
Mothers
Perfusion
Pregnancy*
Rupture*
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Fentanyl