Surgical clipping versus endovascular embolization for treatment of intracranial aneurysms:an analysis of postoperative results

Objective To compare the postoperative results of endovascular embolization or surgical clipping in patients with intracranial aneurysms.Methods Two hundred and eighty-two patients with in- tracranial aneurysms treated with surgical clipping or endovascular embolization were reviewed between Sep- tember 2003 and May 2005.The postoperative complications,length of hospitalization and Glasgow Out- come Scale(GOS)score at discharge in patients with the two interventions were compared.Of the 282 pa- tients with intracranial aneurysms,7(2.5％)were failed in their endovascular embolization and were trea- ted with surgical clipping afterward.128(45.4％)were treated with endovascular embolization,99 (35.1％)were treated with surgical clipping,and 48 received neither surgical clipping nor endovascular embolization for various reasons.Results The good outcomes(GOS score 4,5)in the groups of endo- vascular embolization and surgical clipping were 91.4％and 79.8％,respectively;the poor outcomes (GOS score 1 to 3)were 8.8％and 20.2％,respectively;and their mortalities(GOS score=1)were 4.7％and 5.1％,respectively.Conclusion For the selected patients with intracranial aneurysms, endovascular embolization may be superior to surgical clipping.