Title: Usefulness and Limitation of Cerebral Aneurysm Clipping Using Titanium Clip
Abstract:We evaluated newly developed titanium clips for the treatment of cerebral aneurysm in terms of postoperative radiological findings and practical problems on the clinical application, as compared with ...We evaluated newly developed titanium clips for the treatment of cerebral aneurysm in terms of postoperative radiological findings and practical problems on the clinical application, as compared with cobalt alloy clips. Twenty-six patients with 29 saccular aneurysms operated on using Yasargil titanium clips (AESCULAP Co.) were analyzed. Titanium clips produced far fewer artifacts on both CT and MR images than cobalt alloy clips did, which enables postoperative radiological evaluation on the brain and vascular structure around the clips. However, 5 aneurysms that normally could be clipped by single conventional clip required multiple clips because of insufficient closing forces of the first clip. In addition, two clips were distorted easily during repeated clip application, which we never experienced in conventional clips. These facts suggested that titanium clips might be inferior to cobalt alloy clips in mechanical characteristics in contrast with their superiority in radiological features. We conclude that titanium aneurysm clips should only be used in selected cases and not considered for routine use in aneurysm surgery.Read More