Efficacy and influential factors of embolization on posterior communicating artery aneurysm caused oculomotor nerve palsy

Objective To investigate the efficacy and influential factors of embolization on patients with posterior communicating aneurysms caused oculomotor nerve palsy.Methods Nineteen consecutive patient with posterior communicating aneurysms caused oculomotor nerve palsy were treated with aneurysm embolization from June 2006 to November 2009.There was 1 man and 18 women (mean age, 53 years). The average diameter of the aneurysms was 7.9 mm.The mean time interval from onset to treatment was 16.7 days.Fishers exact test was used to analyze the relation between the following factors and the degree of recovery oculomotor nerve palsy, such as the severity of initial oculomotor nerve palsy, aneurysm size, whether or not accompanying subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) , and the time interval from onset to treatment. Results ①The aneurysms in 19 patients were embolized completely.②The mean follow-up period was 3.1 months after the procedure.Oculomotor nerve palsy of 12 patients were recovered completely, and of 7 patients recovered partially.One of them underwent second embolization because of recurrence of the aneurysm one year later after the first embolization.The follow-up angiography performed 2 years later confirmed that the aneurysm sac was densely packed, The oculomotor nerve palsy of the patient did not recover until more than 2 months after the second treatment, and no relapse of symptoms occurred.③The severity of oculomotor nerve palsy, the time interval from onset to treatment, and whether or not accompan- ying SAH had impact on the recovery (P 0.05) , while the size of aneurysm did not have any impact on the recovery (P 0.05).Conclusion Aneurysm embolization is an effective means in the treatment of posterior communicating aneurysms caused oculomotor nerve palsy.It should be treated as early as possible, and the patients accompanying milder SAH and milder oculomotor nerve palsy may have better outcome.