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Summary
A brain aneurysm is an abnormal bulge or "ballooning" in the wall of an artery in the brain. They are sometimes called berry aneurysms because they are often the size of a small berry. Most brain aneurysms produce no symptoms until they become large, begin to leak blood, or burst.
If a brain aneurysm presses on nerves in your brain, it can cause signs and symptoms. These can include:
- A droopy eyelid
- Double vision or other changes in vision
- Pain above or behind the eye
- A dilated pupil
- Numbness or weakness on one side of the face or body
Treatment depends on the size and location of the aneurysm, whether it is infected, and whether it has burst. If a brain aneurysm bursts, symptoms can include a sudden, severe headache, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, loss of consciousness, and signs of a stroke. Any of these symptoms requires immediate medical attention.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Symptoms
- Brain Aneurysm: Warning Signs and Symptoms (Brain Aneurysm Foundation)
Diagnosis and Tests
- Brain Aneurysm: Diagnosis and Screening (Brain Aneurysm Foundation)
- Catheter Angiography (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
- Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Analysis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- CT Angiography (CTA) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
- MR Angiography (MRA) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Brain Aneurysm: Treatment Options (Brain Aneurysm Foundation)
- Embolization of Brain Aneurysms and Arteriovenous Malformations/Fistulas (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
- Intracranial Vascular Treatments (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Living With
- Brain Aneurysm: Recovery (Brain Aneurysm Foundation)
Related Issues
- Pseudoaneurysm: What Causes It? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Thunderclap Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) (Merck & Co., Inc.)
Images
- Craniotomy - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Videos and Tutorials
- Cerebral aneurysm (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
- Brain Aneurysm: Statistics and Facts (Brain Aneurysm Foundation)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Intracranial Aneurysm (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Influence of physiological conditions on hemodynamics of internal carotid artery aneurysms.
- Article: Isolation and focal treatment of brain aneurysms using interfacial fluid trapping.
- Article: Expression of Concern: Apc gene suppresses intracranial aneurysm formation and rupture...
- Brain Aneurysm -- see more articles
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Patient Handouts
- Aneurysm in the brain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Brain aneurysm repair (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Brain aneurysm repair - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Brain surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Cerebral angiography (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish