Friday, May 20, 2011

Aneurysm Treatment

The meaning aneurysm is dilatation. It is a localized, blood-filled balloon in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can usually occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery which carry blood from the left ventricle of the heart. A brain aneurysm can rupture, which causes bleeding into the brain known as hemorrhagic stroke.


Mostly a ruptured brain aneurysm occurs in the area between the brain and the thin tissues which covers the brain. This kind of hemorrhagic stroke is commonly known as subarachnoid hemorrhage. A ruptured aneurysm is usually life-threatening and needs urgent medical treatment. Most brain aneurysms, although don't rupture only causes health problems or cause different symptoms. These aneurysms are mostly diagnosed during tests for other conditions. Treatment of an unruptured brain aneurysm may be significant in some cases and may prevent from rupture in the future.

Surgical procedures


There are two general surgical procedure for treating a ruptured brain aneurysm.

Surgical clipping
Surgical clipping is a procedure to block out an aneurysm. Doctor take off a section of  the skull to access the aneurysm and diagnose the blood vessel that nourishes the aneurysm. Then, he or she places a tiny metal clip on the cape of the aneurysm to obstruct the blood flow to it.

Endovascular coiling
Endovascular coiling is a less invasive procedure as compare to surgical clipping. The doctors introduce a hollow plastic tube called catheter into an artery, normally in the groin, and threads it through the body to the aneurysm. Victim then uses a guide wire to move a soft platinum wire by the catheter and into the aneurysm. The wire coils up inside the aneurysm, disturbs the blood flow and forces blood to clot. 

This clotting effectively seals off the aneurysm. Both of these procedures have certain risks, specifically bleeding in the brain or loss of blood pressure to the brain. The endovascular coil is less invasive and may be primarily safer, but it also has a risk of consecutive re-bleeding, and an additional procedure may be required. The neurosurgeon will make a suggestion depend up on the area of the brain aneurysm.

Other treatment options

The other treatment options for ruptured brain aneurysms are concentrate from relieving symptoms and controlling complications.

Analgesic pain reliever
Analgesic pain reliever is used to reduce pain like acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).

Calcium channel blockers
Calcium channel blockers obstruct calcium from access in the cells of the blood vessel walls. These drugs may lessen vasospasm, the narrowing and  erratic widening of blood vessels that may be a difficulty of a ruptured aneurysm. One of these drugs, nimodipine has been shown to decrease the risk of adjourned brain injury due to insufficient blood pressure after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Interventions to prevent stroke

They include intravenous injections of a drug named a vasopressor, which promotes blood pressure to overwhelmed the resistance of narrowed blood vessels. A substitute intervention to avoid stroke is angioplasty. In this process, doctor uses a catheter to blow up a tiny balloon that spreads a narrowed blood vessel in the brain. A catheter may also be used to deliver a drug named vasodilator to the brain, which causes blood vessels to dilate.

Anti-seizure medications

These meditations may be used to treat a ruptured aneurysm. These drugs include phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek, others), levetiracetam (Keppra) and valproic acid (Depakene).

Ventricular catheters and shunt surgery

These can reduce pressure on the brain from overmuch cerebrospinal fluid (hydrocephalus) correlated with a ruptured aneurysm. A catheter might fix in the spaces filled with liquid inside the brain (ventricles) to waste the excess liquid into an external bag. Few times, it may then be essential to fix a shunt system which contains a flexible silicone rubber tube called shunt and a valve that forms a drainage channel starting in the brain and ending in the abdominal cavity.

Treating un-ruptured brain aneurysms

Surgical procedures like surgical clipping and endovascular coiling can be used to treat unruptured brain aneurysm by sealing off the aneurysms and help in preventing from future rupture. Although the known risks of the procedures may compensate the potential benefit.
A neurologist can help the victim in deciding whether the treatment is appropriate. Factors that they would think in making a suggestion include;
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