Cerebral (brain) aneurysm
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Doctors
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About the condition
Weak spots at artery junctions in the brain that bulge or balloon. It often looks like a berry hanging on a stem and it could rupture causing severe bleeding in or around the brain. This rupture could potentially cause a stroke or death.
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Causes of the condition
It is the result of thinning and degeneration of artery walls, often found at the junctions or branches in arteries as those areas are weaker.
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Signs & Symptoms
- Sudden, extremely severe headaches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stiff neck
- Back pain
- Blurred or double vision
- Drooping eyelid
- Sensitivity to light
- Seizure
- Transient loss of consciousness
- Confusion
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Diagnosis and Treatment Options
Test and diagnosis
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan
- Cerebrospinal fluid test
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
- Cerebral angiogram
- Cerebral arteriogram
Treatment
The treatment aims to repair the blood vessel. There are 2 types of treatment available – surgical clipping and coiling.
Surgical clipping is where craniotomy surgery is performed and a clip is placed across the base of the aneurysm to prevent blood from entering and causing further growth or rupture.
Coiling is filling the aneurysm with coils of platinum wire or latex to prevent moreblood from entering the aneurysm.
There are other treatments available which relieve the symptoms and managing the complications. These include analgesic pain relievers, calcium channel blockers, interventions to prevent stroke from insufficient blood flow, anti-seizure medications, ventricular catheters and shunt surgery and rehabilitative therapy.
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