For a lot of patients, knowing what to expect in terms of brain aneurysm treatment and recovery can give them peace of mind.
However, both brain aneurysm treatment and recovery depend on a number of factors. These include the patient’s age, state of health, and the severity of their aneurysm.
Brain Aneurysm Treatment and Recovery
Aneurysms are a section of a blood vessel that “balloons’ or bulges out. What this usually means is that section of the blood vessel has become weak, so the pressure of the blood causes it to bulge.
Over time, the bulge can get bigger, and the walls of the blood vessel become thinner as a result.
What are the common forms of treatment?
What is done for brain aneurysm treatment and recovery? Treatment for an aneurysm varies depending on where the aneurysm is, and how serious it is.
The usual forms of treatment are clipping and endovascular therapy.
Clipping
In clipping, the surgeon uses a small metal clip, which they will attach to the base of the aneurysm. This pinches off the aneurysm and effectively blocks any blood flow going into it. Because it’s no longer receiving any blood, there’s no risk of the aneurysm rupturing.
The procedure is done by opening up the patient’s skull to gain access to the aneurysm. Doctors usually do this procedure if the patient has an unruptured aneurysm, or if they have a brain hemorrhage.
This is an effective form of treatment and usually lasts for a long time. There’s also an extremely low chance that the aneurysm will come back
Endovascular therapy
In contrast to clipping, endovascular therapy doesn’t involve opening up the skull. Instead, it uses a device called a catheter to go up an artery in either the groin or wrist, and guides it towards the brain.
Once the catheter has reached the aneurysm, the surgeon uses the catheter to place coils of wires inside the aneurysm. What this does is causes the blood to clot, and it also blocks any blood flow to the aneurysm. Because blood no longer flows into the aneurysm, there is no more risk of rupture.
In some cases, surgeons might also use a mesh tube instead of coils. This redirects the flow of blood away from the aneurysm. It essentially has the same effect as coiling, with no more risk for the aneurysm to rupture.
Brain Aneurysm Treatment and Recovery: How Long Does it Take to Fully Recover?
Recovery from treatment can vary depending on the procedure, the person’s health, and if the aneurysm has ruptured.
For clipping, if the aneurysm has ruptured, recovery can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. If the aneurysm is unruptured, recovery can be as short as two to four weeks.
For ruptured aneurysms undergoing endovascular therapy, recovery time can also be as short as a few weeks, and as long as a few months. But if the aneurysm is unruptured, the recovery time can be as short as just a few days.
Patients typically recover completely from aneurysms. Complications usually arise if the aneurysm is not discovered in time, or if the aneurysm is much worse than expected. But typically, most patients don’t experience any side effects or serious complications after undergoing treatment.
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