Patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage due to the rupture of aneurysms unsuitable for craniotomy and clipping have been treated by coil embolisation within three weeks. Sixty nine of 75 consecutive patients were sucessfully treated. Procedure related complications occurred in 10 patients, resulting in permanent neurological deficits in three and one death (4.8%). The Glasgow outcome scores at six weeks were 53 grade 1, seven grade 2, four grade 3, and five grade 5. These results are comparable with surgical series despite a high proportion of aneurysms in the posterior cerebral circulation.
