Cotton-Assisted Surgical Clipping of Very Small Aneurysms: A Two-Center Study

Objective Very small intracranial aneurysms (VSIAs) are challenging to treat because aneurysm tearing and clip slippage can occur during neurosurgical clipping. In this study, we introduce and share our experience with cotton-assisted clipping of VSIAs. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of 20 patients with 24 VSIAs treated with cotton-assisted clipping between February 2008 and December 2014 in the Neurosurgery Departments of the First Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University and Taizhou People's Hospital. During surgery, 2 aneurysm necks were torn. To treat the tears, we wrapped rectangular cotton pads around the parental arteries at the site of rupture. The remaining 22 aneurysms were clipped after being wrapped in cotton pads. Results The 2 aneurysm ruptures were successfully repaired with cotton-assisted clipping. In the remaining 22 aneurysms, no cases of aneurysm clip slippage or aneurysm rupture occurred. Patients were followed up on average for 59.0 months (range, 30–113 months). Of the 20 patients, the 16 patients with preoperative Hunt–Hess grades of 1–3 recovered well after the surgery (Glasgow Outcome Scale [GOS] score, 5). Of the 4 patients with Hunt–Hess grades of 4–5, 3 had a good recovery (GOS scores, 4–5), and 1 patient died of heart disease 6 months after being discharged from the hospital; this patient had a GOS score of 4 at the time of discharge. Conclusions Cotton-assisted clipping could prevent aneurysm clip slipping and aneurysm rupture and facilitate the repair of aneurysm neck tears. This technique is a useful alternative therapy for VSIAs.