Simple resection technique of anterior petroclinoid fold resection in posterior communicating artery aneurysm surgery

We studied retrospectively the feasibility of an anterior petroclinoid fold (APF) resection technique instead of anterior clinoidectomy (AC) in difficult twenty two cases of internal carotid-posterior communicating (IC-PC) artery aneurysm neck clipping. Twenty two low-lying IC-PC artery aneurysms (eighteen ruptured and four unruptured) were obliterated. The patients are divided into two groups: the APF group (11 cases) is the one who had been treated by simple resection of APF, and the AC group (11 cases) is the other treated by AC in clipping of the IC-PC artery aneurysms. Two cases were treated by a combination of AC and APF resection simultaneously. There was no difference in the clinical outcome between the two groups. No operative complications were encountered in any patients treated with simple APF resection. This simple technique allows for accurate clip placement, and also facilitates the use of proximal control as an adjunct to low-lying IC-PC artery aneurysm surgery in selected cases.