Postoperative complications in 1,000 cases of intracranial aneurysms.

Clinical analysis of postoperative complications was made in 1,000 cases of intracranial saccular aneurysm. Psychological symptoms, motor disturbances, and aphasia were observed in 107 cases (11.5%), 74 cases (7.1%) and 20 cases (2.1%), respectively, in 939 discharged cases. Water and electrolyte disturbances and gastro-intestinal bleeding were found in 60 cases (6.0%) and 19 cases (1.9%), respectively, in 1,000 surgically treated patients including those that died during hospitalization. Psychological symptoms were most apt to develop in cases of vertebrobasilar artery aneurysm, multiple aneurysms and anterior communicating aneurysm. It appeared that the poorer the preoperative grade, the higher the incidence of psychological symptoms. These developed most frequently in patients operated on the third to seventh days after the subarachnoid hemorrhage. The postoperative psychological symptoms improved in 63% of 107 cases. The occurrence rates of other complications were also studied.