A brain aneurysm is formed when an artery of the brain bulges outward. Other names for the condition are cerebral aneurysm and intracranial aneurysm. Only certain brain aneurysms rupture. These are more dangerous than unruptured aneurysms. According to the Brain Aneurysm Resource website, over 30,000 people in the United States will have an aneurysm that hemorrhages each year. Out of that 30,000, 10 to 15 percent will die before ever making it to the hospital, and 50 percent will die within 30 days.
Ruptured Brain Aneurysm Symptoms
Symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm include a very severe headache (all the websites state people call it the worst headache of their life), sensitivity to light and dilated pupils, blurry or double vision, pain over and behind the eye, neck pain and stiffness, nausea and vomiting, and loss of sensation.
Leaking Brain Aneurysm Symptoms
A severe headache is usually the only symptom associated with a leaking aneurysm. A brain aneurysm that leaks will almost always rupture.
Unruptured Brain Aneurysm Symptoms
According to the Brain Aneurysm Resource website, 40 percent of people with unruptured aneurysms will experience some of the following symptoms: deficits in peripheral vision, fatigue, concentration problems, problems with processing and thinking, problems with short term memory, coordination and balance problems, problems with perception, and speech problems.
Types
The two types of brain aneurysms are the saccular, or berry aneurysm, which is the most common type, and the fusiform aneurysm. The berry aneurysm is so named because of the appearance of a neck and stem on the actual aneurysm. The fusiform aneurysm bulges on both sides of the artery wall and does not have a stem.
Risk Factors
Factors that increase the risk of developing a brain aneurysm include smoking, hypertension, family history, using cocaine, tumors, head trauma, infection, being an alcoholic, arteriosclerosis and low estrogen levels. Certain medical conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, polycystic kidney disease, having a very narrow aorta and cerebral arteriovenous malformation (or interrupted blood flow between the veins and arteries because of an abnormal connection) put a person at higher risk of developing a brain aneurysm.
Diagnosis
Brain aneurysms are usually found by CAT (Computerized Tomography) scan. If the CAT scan doesn't show anything, but doctors still believe an aneurysm is present, a lumbar puncture is used, in which a needle is inserted into the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord to check for the presence of blood.
Treatment
Treatment for brain aneurysms includes analgesic pain relievers, calcium channel blockers, injections of vasopressor, which causes blood pressure to elevate and alleviate narrow blood vessels, angioplasty, anti-seizure medications, shunts in the brain, and rehab. Surgical treatments include clipping, in which a clip is placed on the neck of the aneurysm preventing blood flow to it, and endovascular coiling, in which a catheter is inserted through the groin and a wire is pushed through the catheter into the aneurysm where it coils up and interrupts blood flow causing a clot to form. The clot then shuts off the aneurysm.
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