Microsurgical Clip Reconstruction of a True Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm

Abstract

Approximately 25% of intracranial aneurysms originate at the internal carotid artery and posterior communicating artery (PCoA) junction.¹ In contrast to typical PCoA aneurysms, which are usually saccular, a subset known as true PCoA aneurysms arise directly from the PCoA. These represent about 1.3% of all intracranial aneurysms and 6.8% of PCoA aneurysms.¹ The first report of a true PCoA aneurysm was in 1979.²Video 1 illustrates the microsurgical clipping of a true PCoA aneurysm in a 27-year-old man with subarachnoid hemorrhage and left-sided ophthalmoplegia. Computed tomography angiography revealed a large true patient consent, Our surgical strategy included 1) an extended pterional approach, 2) early brain relaxation through basal cisterns and third ventricle opening, 3) Sylvian fissure dissection, 4) partial uncus resection, 5) tracing the PCoA to the aneurysm, 6) pilot clipping and thrombectomy, and 7) careful aneurysm dissection and definitive clipping. The patient had an uncomplicated recovery and was discharged on postoperative day 5 with resolved third nerve dysfunction. A literature review from 2022 documented only 47 cases of true PCoA aneurysms, predominantly manifesting with rupture.³ Some studies suggest that these aneurysms may have a higher rupture risk than typical internal carotid artery-PCoA junction aneurysms.⁴ Microsurgical clipping is a primary treatment, often in cases associated with a fetal posterior cerebral artery variant.⁵ Ensuring the patency of the PCoA and thalamoperforating arteries is crucial, with careful visualization of the clip's distal ends to avoid impacting nearby neurovascular structures.

Keywords: Aneurysm; Clipping; Microsurgery; Neurosurgery; Ophthalmoplegia; Skull base.