Brain Aneurysm: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

A brain aneurysm is a bulging weak area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain. Aging, and hardening of arteries can cause Aneurysms, however some can be inherited. Some risk factors can be prevented, some cannot. The Chance for aneurysms may increase by the number of factors you have. People have an increased risk of rupturing if they already have had them.

Causes

Risk Factors:

• Family History: If people in your family have had history of aneurysms, you are more likely to have them.
• Previous Aneurysm: People who have had a history with aneurysms are more likely to get them again.
• Gender: Females are more likely to develop brain aneurysm
• Race: African Americans are more likely to get them than whites
• High Blood Pressure: People with history of high blood are at greater chance for aneurysm.
• Smoking: People who smoke have higher chances are their aneuryms rupturing.

Symptoms

Brain Aneurysms have no symptoms and are usually only found during non-related testing. In some cases, when an enraptured aneurysm presses on the brain it will cause problems. Some symptoms of this are the person may suffer from severe headaches, blurred vision, changes in speech, and neck pain, depending on what areas of the of the brain are affected and bad the aneurysm is. Ruptured aneurysms often come on suddenly and unexpectedly.

Symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm include: neck pain, sudden severe headache, nausea and vomiting, fainting or loss of consciousness, seizures, and sensitivity of light.

Diagnosis

Because many times aneurysms do not have any symptoms they are usually found while diagnosing a different disease. However if your doctor does suspect an aneurysms they could do the following tests:

• A CT Scan: Helps find spots on the brain that are bleeding. A CTA Scan: Helps evaluate blood vessels more precisely.
• A MRA Scan: To provide pictures of blood vessels in the body a MRA uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy.
• Cerebral angiogram: A catheter is put into a blood vessel in the groin or arm and moved to the brain, and into the fever all artery a dye is inserted. The dye allows complications to be seen such as arteries. This is the most risky test however it is best to locate small aneurysm.

Treatment

If an aneurysm is small and rupturing has low possibly, your doctor may wait and observe you because surgery can be risky and dangerous. If your aneurysm is large, causing pain, or you have a history of rupturing your doctor may recommend surgery. 2 types of surgery can be done for ruptured and unruptured aneurysms:

• Endovascular embolization. Near the affected artery and small tube is inserted and positioned next to the aneurysm. To make the aneurysm less likely to rupture soft metal coils go through the tube into the aneurysm and filling it. This is risky, and could possibly rupture the aneurysm.
• Surgical clipping. A small clip is placed around the base or an aneurysm to isolate it from normal blood circulation. This prevents it from rupturing.