Superficial Sylvian veins as landmarks for operation of middle cerebral artery aneurysms.

A retrograde approach to aneurysms located at the middle cerebral artery bifurcation which uses the superficial Sylvian veins as landmarks is described. Fifty patients with 51 aneurysms were operated on using this technique. This method made it easier for surgeons to decide where to enter the Sylvian fissure for dissection of the middle cerebral artery branches and to secure the parent artery.