Overview of Brain Aneurysms
A brain aneurysm, also referred to as a cerebral or intracranial aneurysm, is an abnormal bulging outward of one of the arteries in the brain.
Brain aneurysms are often discovered when they rupture. A ruptured aneurysm will cause bleeding into the brain or the space closely surrounding the brain. A subarachnoid hemorrhage, resulting from a ruptured brain aneurysm, can lead to a hemorrhagic stroke, brain damage and death.
The main goals of treatment once an aneurysm has ruptured are to stop the bleeding and potential permanent damage to the brain and to reduce the risk of recurrence. Unruptured brain aneurysms are sometimes treated to prevent rupture.
Content provided by UW Medicine Neurological Surgery, Seattle, Washington
Symptoms of Brain Aneurysms
Ruptured Aneursym
Sometimes, a person complaining of severe headaches is actually experiencing one of the symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm. Other ruptured cerebral aneurysm symptoms include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stiff neck or neck pain
- Blurred vision or double vision
- Pain above and behind the eye
- Dilated pupils
- Sensitivity to light
- Loss of sensation
Unruptured Aneurysm
Even before a rupture, patients may not experience any symptoms of brain aneurysms. Still, some people with unruptured aneurysms will experience some or all of the following symptoms:
- Peripheral vision deficits
- Thinking or processing problems
- Speech complications
- Perceptual problems
- Sudden changes in behavior
- Loss of balance and coordination
- Decreased concentration
- Short-term memory difficulty
- Fatigue
Because the symptoms of brain aneurysms can also be associated with other medical conditions, diagnostic neuroradiology is regularly used to identify both ruptured and unruptured brain aneurysms.
Causes of Brain Aneurysms
A cerebral aneurysm refers to the dilation, bulging, or ballooning out of part of the wall of a vein or artery in the brain. Cerebral aneurysms can occur at any age, although they are more common in adults than in children and are slightly more common in women than in men.
Cerebral aneurysms can also result from a head injury, a burst artery or other causes.
Diagnosis of Brain Aneurysms
Patients showing symptoms of an aneurysm are usually referred by other physicians. These patients are evaluated expeditiously by MR-Angiography or CT-Angiography, and by intra-arterial Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA).
After this initial evaluation, the Neurological team will meet to discuss the results, and a decision will be made to offer one of three options:
- no treatment, with continued follow-up
- endovascular treatment
- microsurgical treatment.
In many cases, the patients are presented with endovascular and microsurgical options, with a discussion about the pros and cons of these modalities.
Complications of Brain Aneurysms
The prognosis for a patient with a ruptured cerebral aneurysm depends on the extent and location of the aneurysm, the person's age, general health, and neurological condition. Early diagnosis and treatment are important.