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Although most posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms can be clipped easily with excellent results, some require anterior clinoidectomy for safe and complete clipping.To review our microsurgical series of ruptured PCoA aneurysms and identify the preoperative predictors for anterior clinoidectomy during microsurgical clipping for PCoA aneurysms.Results from microsurgical clipping of 104 patients with ruptured PCoA aneurysms were reviewed retrospectively. Distances and angles were obtained from computed tomographic angiography and compared between the anterior and nonanterior clinoidectomy groups.Anterior clinoidectomy was required in 19 of the 104 cases (18%). None developed surgical complications due to anterior clinoid process (ACP) resection, including postoperative visual deficit. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the distances from the ACP tip to the aneurysmal proximal neck and from the ACP line to the aneurysmal proximal neck were statistically significant predictive factors for the need of anterior clinoidectomy. Based on a receiver operating characteristic analysis, the distances from the ACP tip to the aneurysmal proximal neck4.0 mm and from the ACP line to the aneurysmal proximal neck ≤2.0 mm were selected as optimal cutoff values for predicting the necessity of anterior clinoidectomy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values were 0.991 and 0.955, respectively.In case of ruptured PCoA aneurysm surgery, the distances from the ACP tip to the aneurysmal proximal neck and from the ACP line to the aneurysmal proximal neck were both found to be useful predictors of whether anterior clinoidectomy was required.

Objective In the present study we aim to provide further definition of a group of rare sellar diseases treated by the endoscopic endonasal approach. Methods The study was a retrospective analysis of data obtained from a series of 1729 patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal surgery at 2 academic institutions (Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy between January 1997 and December 2013 and the Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University between July 2010 and September 2015). Clinical charts, operative notes, and pathology reports were examined. Results A total of 346 cases were identified to have nonadenomatous diseases. Applying the Rosner test for outliers assisted in excluding relatively frequent lesions. The final cohort of rare sellar diseases comprised 78 patients. Arachnoid cysts were the most frequently encountered sellar lesion (12 patients, 15%), followed by metastasis (11 cases, 14%), followed by hypophysitis (8 cases, 10%), oncocytoma, and glioma (6 cases, 8% each). The most frequent clinical findings were headache (28%) and visual disorders (80%). A standard endoscopic endonasal approach was performed in 44 patients (56%), and an extended approach was carried out in 34 patients (44%). Tumor removal was gross total in 53% of patients, subtotal in 19%, and partial in 21%. Postoperative endocrinologic and visual deficit evaluation showed improvements in endocrine function in 8 patients (10%) and in visual disorders in 13 (16%). Postoperative complications arose in 28% of cases, mostly represented by diabetes insipidus (10%). Conclusions Endoscopic endonasal approaches offer some specific benefits in the treatment of these patients.

Background Intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are complex pathologies. For patients who do not present with hemorrhage, treatment strategies are often predicated on reducing the risk of hemorrhage and minimizing morbidity. Outcomes vary according to the efficacy of treatment selected. Radiosurgical treatment of certain AVMs can result in incomplete obliteration and may also have only a minimal effect on the presenting nonhemorrhagic symptoms. Case Descriptions We present 2 cases of patients with AVMs who were initially treated with radiosurgery. Both patients' primary clinical symptoms were headaches, which persisted after radiosurgical treatment but abated after subsequent microsurgical resection with or without endovascular embolization. Conclusion Venous outflow obstruction is likely a sizable contributive factor in occipital AVMs among patients who present with headaches and symptoms of intracranial hypertension. Because these high-flow lesions may be suboptimally responsive to stereotactic radiosurgery, microsurgical resection, with or without adjunctive endovascular embolization, should be considered as an initial and definitive treatment strategy. Optimal outcomes may be achieved in patients with a visual deficit that is anatomically correlated to their AVMs.