Neurological, neuropsychological, and functional outcome following treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

The objective of this study was to carry out a detailed investigation of the neurological, neuropsychological, and return-to-work status of treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs). A prospective design was used to evaluate the outcome of UIA treatment in a group of 26 UIA patients. Over a 24-month period UIA patients were assessed prior to treatment, during hospitalization, at three months and at six months following treatment. Their performance was compared to a group of 20 matched controls. Neurological morbidity as a result of the UIA treatment was 5%, as assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) or Rankin at 3 months. The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) proved to be unreliable as a measure of cognitive change. Reliability of change analysis was more sensitive than group analysis, and revealed a pattern of cognitive deficits in 10% of patients as a result of the UIA treatment. In addition, 25% of patients reported a change in work role as a result of the UIA treatment. While 10% of patients sustained mild to moderate neurological and cognitive impairments 3 to 6 months following UIA treatment, their deficits were not as wide-ranging nor as severe as those sustained by patients who survive a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).