Living Life with Intracranial Aneurysm

Intracranial aneurysm is sometimes referred to as brain aneurysm. It is the abnormal outward bulging of one or more brain arteries. And it is sad to note that intracranial aneurysm is quite common. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 1 out of 15 people develop this disease.

And more often than not, intracranial aneurysm is discovered only when the affected arteries burst. When that happens, some bleeding in the brain itself or within the adjacent areas to blood vessels follows. This bleeding, also termed as subarachnoid hemorrhage can possibly lead to stroke, brain damage, and even death.

Symptoms of Intracranial Aneurysm
The symptoms linked to brain aneurysm depend upon whether the artery is ruptured or not. Patients usually describe this disease as the worst headache they had experienced. And along with the intense headache, nausea and vomiting follow suit. Stiff neck and similar neck pains are also felt. They would also have problems with their vision being blurred or double. And it is usually coupled by pain either above or behind the eyes.

Intracranial aneurysm that has yet to rupture has a different set of symptoms. Usually, patients will have problems with their memory, overall thinking process, and in memorizing. Speech and perception difficulty is also experienced. Patients also tend to lose their sense of balance and coordination. They get tired easily and even experience mood and behavior changes from time to time.

Diagnosis of Intracranial Aneurysm
To diagnose intracranial aneurysm a CT scan is performed. CT scan is a type of computerized test that takes an image of the brain through a series of x-rays in slices or cross-sections. To perform the test, the patient is placed in a long circular machine to produce the required images of the brain.

And if a CT scan of the brain is not enough, a procedure called lumbar puncture may be done to detect any possible presence of blood in the CSF or the cerebrospinal fluid. CSF is the fluid that surrounds both the brain and the spinal cord. If blood is detected in the fluid, then a rupture had occurred.

Aside from these two, cerebral angiography and computed tomographic angiography are the two other methods commonly used to diagnose intracranial aneurysm. Both of these are traditional methods and each of them uses a special dye as an aid to detect the disease.

Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysm
There are two ways to treat intracranial aneurysm – the minimally invasive method and the full surgical removal. The choice as to which of these two methods should be used depends whether or not the aneurysm has ruptured. Ruptured intracranial aneurysm is usually treated through an open surgery. The surgical method of removing it involves craniotomy, or the removal of a part of the skull. After doing that, a metal clip is placed on the neck to stop blood from flowing into the affected area. And then the aneurysm is clipped off. The whole process is complete after the removed bone is placed back in its original position and the wound caused by the surgery is closed.

The minimally invasive method is called endovascular coiling. This method does not require craniotomy at all. In this method, a catheter, or a small plastic tube is inserted through the aneurysm’s head. Its purpose is to block the blood from flowing into the aneurysm, thus preventing ruptures. Of course, the surgical method may be applied to unruptured aneurysm as well, but doctors usually refer endovascular coiling because the prognosis is better on patients undergoing such, compared to open surgery.

Intracranial aneurysm is indeed a major health problem. It can bring about stroke and sudden death if left untreated. So the moment this disease is suspected, a regular consultation with a medical expert is advised. Doing so would save your life.