What if the worst headache of your life turned out to be a life-threatening brain aneurysm? People with a suspected brain aneurysm often describe it as the worst, most painful headache imaginable.
An aneurysm is a weak area in a blood-vessel wall that causes the vessel to bulge or balloon out. A brain aneurysm may leak a small amount of blood into the brain (called a subarachnoid hemorrhage), which causes a sudden, severe headache that is off the charts on the pain scale.
Warning Signs and Treatment
Consider such a headache a warning sign that the aneurysm can rupture days–even weeks–later. That is why it is vital to get immediate medical attention. Other warning signs of a brain aneurysm include nausea, blurred or double vision, stiff neck or neck pain, pain above or behind the eyes, and numbness (loss of sensation).
The good news is that aneurysms can be treated safely and effectively:
Clipping is a surgical procedure for ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. Through a small opening in the skull, a neurosurgeon locates the aneurysm and places a clip around the base of it. This stops blood flow to the aneurysm and allows flow through the normal vessels.
Coiling is a minimally invasive procedure for unruptured aneurysms. The surgeon inserts a catheter into an artery in the leg, then navigates the catheter to the brain where the aneurysm is. Through the catheter, the surgeon inserts soft platinum coils to deploy in the aneurysm. These coils fill the space formed by the arterial bulge to block blood flow and prevent an aneurysm rupture.
Brain aneurysm treatment changes lives for the better. For instance, the successful treatment Rich “Big Daddy” Salgado received for a ruptured aneurysm in 2008 inspired him to help increase awareness about the warning signs. Join him along with sports figures and network professionals at the Second Annual Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 24th at Oheka Castle in Huntington.
This post was written by David Chalif, MD, co-director of the Brain Aneurysm Center at the Cushing Neuroscience Institute and chief of neurovascular neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital.
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