Impact of Anterior Clinoidectomy on Visual Function After Paraclinoid Carotid Artery Aneurysm Surgery: Power-Drill Versus No-Drill Technique

Few studies have attempted to make a direct comparison of the risk of visual impairment following extradural anterior clinoidectomy (EAC) with and without the use of a power drill. To evaluate postoperative visual outcomes between groups of patients with paraclinoid carotid artery aneurysms (PCAAs) who underwent surgical clipping with and without the use of a power drill during EAC. Between January 2010 and November 2019, 90 patients, 7 with ruptured and 83 with unruptured PCAAs, underwent clipping surgery at our hospital. The authors retrospectively analyzed postoperative visual complications from the medical records of these patients. Among the 85 patients (excluding 3 patients with disturbance of consciousness caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage and 2 patients with preoperative visual disturbance) evaluated, EAC was conducted using a power drill in 64 patients and using a microrongeur in 21 patients. Permanent postoperative visual impairment developed in 14 (21.9%) patients in the drill group: 9 patients had ipsilateral lower nasal quadrant hemianopsia (ILNQH) and 5 patients had ipsilateral visual acuity reduction. Transient ILNQH developed in only 1 patient in the no-drill group. The incidence of permanent postoperative visual impairments was significantly lower in the no-drill group than in the drill group (P = .020). Seventeen (26.6%) patients developed transient oculomotor nerve palsy in the drill group, while no patients developed oculomotor nerve palsy in the no-drill group. EAC using a microrongeur versus a power drill significantly improved visual outcomes after clipping surgery for PCAAs.