The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that 5 percent of Americans have a type of brain aneurysm, which is a ballooning of the blood vessel. When the vessel leaks, or ruptures, bleeding starts in the brain. Around 27,000 people each year have a ruptured aneurysm, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The treatment for a brain aneurysm is targeted at the ruptured aneurysms. Options include surgery, ventricular catheters and medication. The Mayo Clinic adds that coiling and high blood pressure medication can be used for an unruptured aneurysm, in which the vessel is intact.
Surgical Treatments
The NINDS states that two surgical options are available for treating a brain aneurysm. The first, microvascular clipping, works by halting the blood supply to the aneurysm by placing a clip on the aneurysm's neck, which is the connection between the aneurysm and blood vessel. As the Mayo Clinic explains, the aneurysm looks like a "berry hanging on a stem." This surgical option involves removing part of the skull to access the aneurysm. The other surgical option, endovascular coiling, does not require surgery on the skull. Endovascular coiling involves inserting a catheter into an artery in the groin. Once the catheter is in the patient's body, it is guided up to the aneurysm. A coil is then pushed into the aneurysm, causing a blood clot to seal off the aneurysm.
Ventricular Catheters
Another option, ventricular catheters relieve excess pressure in the brain caused by a build up of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a condition called hydrocephalus, according to the Mayo Clinic. The catheter is placed in a region of the brain called the ventricles, which contain CSF. The excess CSF in the ventricles then moves through the catheter to an external bag.
Medications
The NIH notes that if surgery cannot be done, medicine is used, similar to the regimen used with subarachnoid hemorrhage. For example, the patient may be given pain relievers, like acetaminophen, for the headaches caused by a brain aneurysm. Antiseizure medications, like levetiracetam, phenytoin and valproic acid, are given as a preventative measure, as some patient experience seizures after an aneurysm rupture. A calcium channel blocker like nimodipine reduces vasospasm, a condition in which the width of the blood vessel changes. Untreated vasospasm puts the patient at risk for a stroke. Bed rest is often combined with medication treatment for a ruptured brain aneurysm.
