|
CNI Stroke Program
Patient Care
Brain Aneurysm Diagnosis & Treatment
Diagnosis
A brain aneurysm, also called a cerebral or intracranial aneurysm, is an abnormal bulging outward of one of the arteries in the brain. Often this wall is weakened by disease, injury or an abnormality present at birth. Aneurysms are often caused or made worse by high blood pressure. It is estimated that up to one in 15 people in the United States will develop a brain aneurysm during their lifetime.
How is an Aneurysm Detected?
 Several imaging techniques, such as X-ray angiography, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or computed tomography (CT), are used to detect aneurysms. In the image to the right, an angiogram shows a left-sided aneurysm. An aneurysm may be small and not cause symptoms. A doctor will want to check it regularly to see if it is enlarging. Symptoms of an aneurysm depend on where it is located. Aneurysms in the brain can cause impaired vision and headaches. The larger an aneurysm becomes, the more likely it is to burst.
Unrupture Aneurysm
An unruptured aneurysm can be diagnosed and treated to prevent rupturing with a procedure called "clipping" where a neurosurgeon surgically places special clips over the aneurysm to prevent it from breaking. Another way to treat it is by an interventional neuroradiologist surgically placing small coils in the aneurysm to fill it and keep it from rupturing.
Ruptured Aneurysm
When a blood vessel on the brain's surface ruptures and bleeds into the space between the brain and the skull (but not into the brain itself), it's called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which can lead to a hemorrhagic stroke, brain damage and death. When an artery in the brain bursts, flooding the surrounding tissue with blood, it's called a cerebral hemorrhage.
|
