Superficial Temporal Artery-Sparing Mini-Pterional Approach for Cerebral Aneurysm Surgery

OBJECTIVE The purposes of this study were to introduce a superficial temporal artery (STA)-sparing mini-pterional approach for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms and review the surgical results of this approach. METHODS Between June 2010 and December 2015, we performed the STA-sparing mini-pterional approach for 117 patients with 141 unruptured intracranial aneurysms. We analyzed demographic, radiologic, and clinical variables including age, sex, craniotomy size, aneurysm location, height of STA bifurcation, and postoperative complications. RESULTS The mean age of patients was 58.4 years. The height of STA bifurcation from the superior border of the zygomatic arch was 20.5 mm±10.0 (standard deviation [SD]). The craniotomy size was 1051.6 mm2±206.5 (SD). Aneurysm neck clipping was possible in all cases. Intradural anterior clinoidectomy was performed in four cases. Contralateral approaches to aneurysms were adopted for four cases. Surgery-related complications occurred in two cases. Permanent morbidity occurred in one case. CONCLUSION Our STA-sparing mini-pterional approach for surgical treatment of cerebral aneurysms is easy to learn and has the advantages of small incision, STA sparing, and a relatively wide surgical field. It may be a good alternative to the conventional pterional approach for treating cerebral aneurysms.