Anxiety before and after surgical repair in patients with asymptomatic unruptured intracranial aneurysm

BACKGROUND Ruptured intracranial aneurysm is a serious condition with high mortality and morbidity. Patients notified of the presence of the unruptured intracranial aneurysm may become anxious because of the fear of rupture. We prospectively investigated the anxiety of patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysm before and after surgery. METHODS Thirty-seven patients with an asymptomatic unruptured intracranial aneurysm were enrolled, 13 men and 24 women aged 32 to 70 years (mean age, 57.2 years), who underwent surgical repair of the aneurysm. The anxiety of patients was assessed one month before and after surgery using the Japanese version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS The trait anxiety scores, which refer to stable personality factors reflecting the general level of fearfulness, did not change significantly after surgery. In contrast, the state anxiety scores, which refer to transient anxiety that varies according to the situation, decreased significantly after surgery (p = 0.001, paired t test). Only the preoperative high state anxiety scores among the multiple variables were associated with the significant decrease in state anxiety after surgery (p = 0.0183, logistic regression analysis). CONCLUSIONS The anxiety of patients with asymptomatic unruptured intracranial aneurysm significantly decreased after surgery. Anxiety of patients with asymptomatic unruptured intracranial aneurysm may deserve attention in deciding whether to treat the aneurysm. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.