Aneurysm in the brain

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Cerebral aneurysm

Aneurysm in the brain

Alternative Names:

Aneurysm - cerebral; Cerebral aneurysm
Symptoms:

Aneurysms usually cause no symptoms unless they rupture and cause bleeding into the brain. Often, an aneurysm is found when a CAT scan or MRI is performed for an unrelated reason. Occasionally, the aneurysm gets big enough to compress nearby structures and can cause symptoms such as:

Double vision
Loss of vision
Headaches
Eye and/or neck pain

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Symptoms of an aneurysm that has bled may include:

Sudden occurrence of a headache (severe or described as "the worst in patient's experience")
Headaches with nausea or vomiting
Stiff neck (occasionally)
Muscle weakness, difficulty moving any part of the body
Numbness or decreased sensation in any part of the body
Vision changes (double vision, loss of vision)
Eyelid drooping
Changes in mental status, the person may be confused, lethargic, sleepy, or stuporous
Seizures
Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement
Speech impairment
Sudden onset of irritability, impulsivity or poor temper control

Signs and tests:

There may be signs of increased pressure within the brain (raised intracranial pressure) including swelling of the optic nerve (papilledema) or tiny hemorrhages into the retina of the eye, which are evident on careful eye examination.

Other findings on exam (such as a third cranial nerve palsy) may help identify which blood vessel has the aneurysm.

A cerebral aneurysm is usually diagnosed by tests to determine the cause of bleeding within the brain:

A CT scan of the head can identify bleeding and occasionally locate the aneurysm.
A CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) examination (spinal tap) may confirm bleeding when CT scan is non-diagnostic.
An MRI of the head may be an alternative to a CT scan, but is not as sensitive to bleeding within the brain (subarachnoid bleeding). Various MRI scans vary in their ability to detect smaller aneurysms.
Conventional cerebral angiography or spiral CT scan angiography of the head are the most sensitive tools to pinpoint the location and size of the aneurysm(s).
EEG (electroencephalogram) may be performed if seizures occur.