title: Endovascular and microsurgical treatment of superior cerebellar artery aneurysms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Superior cerebellar artery (SCA) aneurysms are regarded as being as difficult to treat surgically as posterior circulation aneurysms. We describe here a series of 33 of these aneurysms treated with microsurgery or embolization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between June 1997 and August 2007, 33 patients (9 men, 24 women; age, 29 to 76 years) with SCA aneurysms underwent microsurgical (n = 12) or endovascular (n = 21) treatment. Twenty two patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Thirty aneurysms were located in the junction between the SCA and the basilar artery (BA), two in the proximal SCA (S1) and one in the distal SCA (S2-3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 29 SCA aneurysms, located in the junction between the SCA and BA, which were available on conventional angiography, 20 were lateral-superior, six lateral-horizontal, two lateral inferior, and one posterior type. Of the 12 patients treated microsurgically, eight had clinically excellent or good outcomes. Causes of poor outcomes included initial poor clinical status (n = 2), infarction due to parent artery compromise (n = 1), and artery of Heubner injury due to surgery for a coexisting anterior communicating artery aneurysm (n = 1). Of the 21 patients treated endovascularly, 17 had clinical good or excellent outcomes. Causes of clinically poor outcomes included initial poor clinical status (n = 2) and infarction due to thrombosis of exposed coil mesh (n = 1). One patient underwent embolization resulted in death due to vasospasm. Three patients required additional embolization for coil compaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no morbidity related to perforator injury, regardless of the treatment modality. Embolization or microsurgery is an effective modality, with relatively low procedural morbidity and mortality rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University, Pusan, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Eun Suk
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Do Hoon
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Jae Sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Byung Duk
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Kwun
authors.forename: Chang Jin
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Choong-Gon
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Choi