Clipping of Kissing Distal Anterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysms: The Importance of Microsurgical Techniques to Enlarge the Surgical Corridor and Prevent a Premature Aneurysm Rupture.

Intracranial kissing aneurysms, arising either from the same artery or from 2 adjacent arteries at similar locations, are rare.1,2 The internal carotid artery is most frequently involved; kissing aneurysms rarely affect the distal anterior cerebral artery (DACA). By dint of the close proximity of the aneurysm fundus, these aneurysms can pose unique operative challenges.3,4 A highly fragile aneurysm dome with a high intraoperative rupture rate is a unique management challenge in DACA aneurysms.5 The stakes are higher when there is an aneurysm rupture in the setting of kissing DACA aneurysms requiring an anterior interhemispheric approach. The negotiation of a tight interhemispheric fissure in between the bridging veins and prevention of a premature aneurysm rupture at a narrow space become vital in these situations. Video 1 highlights the surgical steps of clipping bilateral kissing DACA aneurysms in a 60-year-old woman. This surgical video highlights the microneurosurgical nuances of opening a tense interhemispheric fissure and maneuvers for prevention of a premature aneurysm rupture. These nuances are quintessential in the successful surgical clipping of kissing DACA aneurysms. The patient in Video 1 presented with an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage with severe headache of sudden onset and nuchal rigidity (World Federation of Neurological Surgeons grade II). Both aneurysms were located at the A3-A4 junction and successfully clipped through a right-sided anterior interhemispheric approach. She made a satisfactory postoperative recovery (modified Rankin Scale score of 1 at 6-week follow-up and 0 at 6-month follow-up) with an excellent angiographic outcome.

Factors predicting seizure outcome after surgical excision of meningioma: SOLID-C guideline for prophylactic AED.

BACKGROUND: Seizures are commonly seen among meningioma patients and may cause impaired quality of life. These patients can be effectively treated with surgery. Still, many patients have persistent seizure episodes after surgery. The factors which are associated with worsening of seizure episodes remain critical in improving the quality of life for such patients. In this study, we aim to analyze the clinical and histopathological factors to predict the post excision seizure-outcome in meningioma and need of antiepileptic prophylaxis for these patients. METHODS: Adult patients who underwent primary resection of meningioma at our institute between 2007 and 2020 were included in the study. Eligibility criteria were as follows: (i) Surgery for newly-diagnosed biopsy proven meningioma, (ii) Presence of pre-operative seizure (iii) A follow-up period ≥ 12 months. RESULTS: Of the 1145 patients in this series, 333 patients were recruited in study. The major determinants of prophylactic anti-epileptic were tumour size (S), Oedema (O), location (L), inclusion body (I), antiepileptic drugs (D) and surgical complication (C). The factors independently associated with poor seizure control after surgical resection were presence of brain parenchyma invasion (p < 0.001), pre-operative use of > 2 antiepileptics (p = 0.016) and presence of intranuclear inclusion bodies (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The identification and consideration of factors associated with prolonged seizure control after surgery may help us to guide treatment strategies aimed at improving the quality of life for patients with meningiomas. Authors have proposed a SOLID-C guideline to avoid the blanket approach of prophylactic AED in patients undergoing for meningioma resection.

Non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: Is the deep venous system the hidden culprit?

AIM: The exact cause of bleeding in non-aneurysmal sub-arachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is yet to be established. The present study intends to evaluate the morphological variants of deep cerebral venous drainage, especially basal veins of Rosenthal (BVR), and to correlate if such a venous anomaly is associated with increased incidence of non-aneurysmal SAH. METHODS: A prospective analysis of all the patients of age more than 12 years with spontaneous non-aneurysmal SAH and undergone 4-vessel DSA for the diagnosis of the source of bleeding was included in the study (n = 59). The anatomy of the basal venous distribution was evaluated and was divided into 3 different types, namely normal (Type A), normal variant (Type B), and primitive (Type C), based on DSA findings. The follow-up of these cases was noted. The three groups were compared with one another. RESULTS: The median age of presentation was 51 years with slight male predominance (52%). Primitive venous drainage was associated with a poorer grade at presentation (p = 0.002), more severe bleed (p = 0.001), vasospasm (p = 0.045), and a poorer outcome at 6 months (p = 0.019). Hydrocephalous and vasospasm were seen in patients with primitive venous drainage. On multivariate regression analysis for poorer outcome, it was observed that a worse grade at presentation, extensive bleed, primitive venous drainage are independent predictors of an adverse outcome. CONCLUSION: The presence of primitive venous drainage has a linear relationship with the development of non-aneurysmal SAH with multi-cisternal hemorrhage, worse grade at presentation, and unfavorable outcome.