A brain aneurysm is an unusual bulging out of the wall of the blood vessel that carries blood to the brain. The blood pressure within an aneurysm may cause can cause a brain aneurysm to rupture. Aneurysms of the blood vessels in the brain are fairly common. Many people are walking around with aneurysms and don’t even know it. An aneurysm is commonly found when the patient is getting tested for a specific problem.
Causes for brain aneurysms
The causes for brain aneurysms can be related to hypertension. High blood pressure with a blood vessel can weaken the vessel to where a bulge could occur. As the wall of an aneurysm is stressed it becomes thinner. In other words, high blood pressure can cause enough pressure that the weakened area of the blood vessel may become thinner which can ultimately decreases the integrity of the vessel in the weakened area. Brain aneurysms can occur in any time of life, but most occur later in life.
Symptoms of brain aneurysms
The most common symptoms of a brain aneurysm usually stem from the rupture of it. The rupturing of a brain aneurysm may cause a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The bleeding into the brain will likely cause an agonizing headache. People who have experienced a rupture of a brain aneurysm usually report that they suffered from the worst headache pain in their lives. The headache may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck. If not attended to early enough, the patient may become comatose and may even die unexpectedly. Since so many people don’t know they have suffered a brain aneurysm, many people actually die before reaching the hospital after a rupture.
Many people with brain aneurysms are diagnosed after a rupture has occurred. They usually are brought to the emergency department of the nearest hospital, complaining of a terrible headache and stiff neck. The family may be the first to recognize changes in the patient’s level of consciousness.
The doctor will order a CT scan which may expose a blood in the subarachnoid space. In cases where a CT scan isn’t available or doesn’t demonstrate any noticeable blood, a lumbar puncture is done to obtain some cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for examination. If a brain aneurysm has ruptured, there may be blood present in the CSF.
In many patients, brain aneurysms can be diagnosed before they rupture. For instance, if the patient sees the doctor for complaints of constant headaches or other isolated symptoms, the doctor will likely order a CT scan or an MRI scan. If the patient presents to the doctor with some unexpected neurological symptoms, the doctor can perform some neurological tests that may point to a brain aneurysm.
Treatment for brain aneurysms
The traditional way of treating a brain aneurysm is by surgery. The surgery for brain aneurysms is called clipping. The surgeon makes an opening in the head and the aneurysm is exposed. The base of the aneurysm is called the neck; this is where the aneurysm connects to the blood vessel. The surgeon removes the aneurysm with a metallic device called an aneurysm clip. The clip closes the opening to the aneurysm so that the blood from the vessel will stay in the vessel so that the blood will not continue to inflate the aneurysm. Clipping prevents additional growth and prevents the subsequent rupture of the aneurysm.
A new treatment, called coiling, may be done; coiling can be done without opening the head. Coiling is an endovascular treatment; it is performed from within the blood vessel. A catheter is positioned into a large vessel in the leg, and another smaller catheter is positioned into a vessel in the head and is threaded into the aneurysm. Tiny coils are advanced to fill the inside of the aneurysm. The coils cause an occlusion in the aneurysm, so that blood cannot become trapped into it.
Conclusion
Concerning clipping or endovascular coiling, medical professionals may dispute which treatment for brain aneurysms is the best. Both treatments have some advantages as well as disadvantages and risks, so the final decision will ultimately be the patient’s or the patient’s family.
