Objective To compare the therapeutic efficacy between emergency and non-emergency operation for ruptured intracranial aneurysms. Method A retrospective analysis of 184 patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms the Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University College of Medicine, admitted from Dec 2008 to Sep 2009, was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of operation to be done earlier. The patients were divided into 2groups according to the time of surgery. In the early operation group ( n = 102), the patients were operated on within 3 days of rupture of aneurysms, and in the delayed operation group ( n = 82), the patients were operated on after 3 days. The comparison in the rate of rebleeding before surgery, rate of complete occlusion of the ruptured aneurysm and rate of major complications such as cerebral infarction and hydrocephalus between two groups was made. The Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) scores of these patients were also evaluated by 6- 12 months follow-up after operation. Results Preoperative re-bleeding happened in 2 patients of the early operation group and in 7 patients of the delayed operation group. The rates were significantly different ( P ＜ 0.05). The complete occlusion rate in the early operation group was 91.2 % ( 93/102 ), while was 80.5 % ( 66/82 ) in the delayed operation group (P＜0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in post-operative cerebral infarction rate, post-operative hydrocephalus rate or GOS scores on follow-up between two groups. Conchusions Early operation can significantly reduce the re-bleeding before surgery, reducing the risk of death and disability. In early operation, the continuous lumbar drainage by cannulation and other methods can be used to reduce intracranial pressure, significantly increasing the rate of complete occlusion, and promoting rehabilitation.