Aneyrysms

[billie386]

I have just been diagnosed as having a Carotid Aneurysm, what treatment will I need for it.

[mona498]

hi  i have been just diagnosed with what appears to be on mra a2mm aneurysm i am just wondering if it is possible for the mra to mistake this aneurysm for something else as my neuroligst reviewed the scan and has said it is very small if indeed it is a definate aneurysm does this mean they may not be sure  i am so worried my neuroligst suggest to just moniter it annualy.

[crwstar]

Hi - I had the exact same thing. I had cat scan and mri. neither showed the annie. It wasn't until I had an mra that it showed up. It is interesting to see which of these tests the annies show up on for each of us.

Hope you are still doing well.

[navywife91]

HI I wanted to add that I had a CAT scan before I had my MRI/MRA and it did not show the aneurysm. Thought that was interesting!

[crwstar]

Congratulations on the success of your surgery!! Hope you keep coming around and sharing your experience with others.

All the best
Crwstar

[navywife91]

Hi I had my surgery! It was endovascular. It was filled with black onyx and a stint. It was wide base so the glue with stint was the best option. I have had no side effects from the surgery. It lasted almost 4.5 hours. Not sick felt at all felt great after surgery and went home 2 days later. 1 day in ICU and 1 day regular (while still in ICU). No vision changes so that was good. They were expecting problems with vision in my left eye but it didn't happen. Just have a mild headache every now and then. Now I have to get angiogram in 5 months and again at 1 year out. Then MRA for the next 5 years. Take care everyone.

[betsypear1]

Thanks. That's a good idea. This neurosurgeon is supposed to be one of the best in the country, and when I saw him last time he was fairly certain the MRI showed it, and that's why he ordered the CTA. He doesn't seem like the type to say there was nothing if there was something, but I suppose anything is possible.

[crwstar]

Hi, I am so glad you got some good news! This is fantastic.

I would suggest getting the reports yourself so that you can read what it says. I say this because my annie is about 3.5 mm and when my neurologist got the results she made a conscious decision not to tell about it because she was of the opinon that it was not a big deal.

I'm not saying that its the case here but I learned a lesson the hard way which is the only way I know for sure what's going on is if I see the reports myself. I was then able to set up a follow up plan.

Just some thoughts I wanted to share. Again, I am thrilled with the news you got. Wishing you a wonderful day!!

[betsypear1]

Hi! Well, I got the word yesterday that my CTA was perfectly fine. No sign of aneurysm or abnormalities of the blood vessels. They said to call them if I'm in need of anything else. So, I guess this means that all the tests I've had since my recent TIAs have been normal. No cause for the stroke-like symptoms, which now have pretty much gone away. I guess I should consider all this a wake-up call to take really good care of myself to prevent any future occurrences. Thanks very much for the support!

[crwstar]

Yeah, I found out the hard way the importance of getting my records. It just so happens that at the hospitals I go to you can make a request for the scans right there so I just sign the paper work and have them send it to me in the mail. Now to get the written report is another thing. Have to go to a completely different building for that. They don't make it easy, lol.

I hope you got some good news!!


All the best.

[betsypear1]

Hi, good to hear from you! That's a good idea to sign a release to get a copy. Didn't know you could do that. I mean, I do know we have a right to have a copy but didn't know you could do that at the lab.

Well, I called today and they said they just "got" them! I frankly don't believe that's possible. Anyway, she says the doctor will be in tomorrow and will review them. I have a sneaking suspicion he's been on vacation. Well, anyway, fingers and toes crossed!

[crwstar]

Hi - You are right. Usually, if they have not called its because they don't deem it an emergency. 2 weeks is a long time to wait to hear from them about what's going on. I usually, sign a release of my scans on the day that I'm there so that I can get a copy immediately. This way if they don't call back or are incredibly busy I'm already setup with the info.

I'm hoping with you that its a wait and see situation. Its Monday, have you found anything out yet? I'm hoping for some good news for you.

Have a good day.

[betsypear1]

I haven't gotten the CTA results yet. It's been over 2 weeks since the scan and the neurosurgeon's office hasn't called me...I guess I really don't want to know if it's bad news, and sort of figure that if it was that bad, they would have called me for an appt. But I can't wait around any long and will be calling tomorrow. I'm thinking maybe the doc was on vacation. This particular office took forever to get me an appt. for the original consult. I don't understand that, but whatever. When I saw him for the consult, he said it might be a wait-and-see type of situation, and I'm hoping so.

[crwstar]

Hi - my first syptom was a headache everyday for 1 month. This is what lead me to going to the doctor. By the time I got scans I had had a headache for 3 months. I had vertigo off and on, blurry vision, confusion, short term memory loss, couldn't find words, my spelling change, sharp shooting pains in my head and I was having deja vu attacks all the time. I know there's more but I was diagnosed with both an aneurysm and a pituitary tumor and then this year they added two more tiny annies. I can't say that I've experienced pressure on top of my head - I have had more of a constant pressure within my head.....is that what you mean? Or are you saying pressure on top as if something was on your head? Hope some of that helps.

All the best.

[crwstar]

Hi - Wow, so glad they found it before the little bugger ruptured. What a blessing.
From what I've read coiling tends to be easier to recover from than the clipping.

Unfortunately, the location of my annie indicates clipping as the only option. I had an angiogram in 08 and hmm, for me the worst part was lying still afterwards for 5 hours. I had a bit of anxiety from having to be still. I had some pain in my leg for up to 6 months afterwards but nothing that a little more exercise wouldn't resolve. It was scary for sure because of all the unknowns but the nurse's and doc were all great.

Its coming up pretty soon for you and you'll have more information. Best wishes with your angiogram and let us know how things go.

[crwstar]

Hi - 7 mm is a size that can be treated. I have 3, two tiny ones and one that's about 3.5 mm. Which is why I'm in the wait and watch group. I did recently see another neurosurgeon who gave me the option of surgery but with everything else I have going on I believe I will be sitting with this decision for some time. I've read that people have had them rupture at the size I have but I'm just waiting for a little bit to make that decision. Its possible I may have had something rupture a while back as I had the classic "worst" headache of my life. Had something explode in my head and never went to a doc and have not been the same since. They did find something via mra at the spot called an infidulum - don't totally understand what that is but it leads to be question whether or not something has leaked in the past.

A CTA will definitley tell you more about what's going on. Have you had it yet? When I had mine, it lasted all of 15 minutes and my body tolerated it better than the angiogram. Let us know what your results are.

[navywife91]

HI I was told I have to have surgery to treat it. The choice is to have open brain surgery to have it clipped or to have it coiled. I go in for my angiogram on Sept 9, but the doctor seems to think that the coil will work because of the place in the vein. It was found by accident. I caught some terrible bug on vacation. I had a horrible headach so they did a cat scan. The cat scan showed I had fluid on my brain. They checked me in and decided to let us drive the 11 hours home so I could be home. Well, I went to my family doctor who said he didn't see the fluid, but lets check with MRI because my headaches are so bad(I have always had migraines, but these seem different). Well, the MRI showed the 6mm aneurysm which did not show up in January when I had one for headaches. So they ordered an MRA and now my doctor I am seeing is a aneurysm specialist. All my doctors say if they had to have surgery then he is the guy they would let operate. Did you have any problems having the angiogram?

[betsypear1]

You're welcome. :) But of course, I'm not a medical expert, so if you're concerned about your symptoms you should see your doctor.

[KA6823]

Thanks for the comments. I appreciate them very much.

[betsypear1]

crwstar - the MRI says, "There is a focal vascular dilitation at the distal right internal carotid artery, measuring about 7 mm diameter." It goes on to say "this suggests an aneurysm..." Apparently the CTA will tell more.  I'm assuming that's toward the base of the skull on the right. And 7 mm is about 1/4 inch. I don't know how that compares to anyone else's. Still awaiting the results of the CTA.

KA6823 - from what I've read, a lot of the time a non-ruptured aneurysm has no symptoms. But my symptoms (which haven't been yet determined to be caused by the aneurysm itself) are loss of coordination and weakness that comes and goes in my arms, legs and tongue, as well as some tingling and numbness. The weakness and lack of coordination can be symptoms of the aneurysm, from what I've read. I haven't seen anything about pressure on top of the head, though.

[KA6823]

What were the initial symptoms? I have pressure on top of my head every day...

[crwstar]

Wow, a lot of people with annies. Surgery is an option for many of these but so is watching and waiting. I'm in the watching group. Was told I could have it clipped but not ready to make that decision right now.

How big is your annie Betsypear1? And where is it?

Navywife, how did your appt go?

billie386, have you found out anything about your annie?

Hope everyone is doing ok.

[betsypear1]

I, too, have been told I have an aneurysm, but just had a CT angiogram to determine more specifically what is going on with it, and what the treatment will be. The neurosurgeon said it may just be able to be monitored, but I guess the other alternative is some sort of surgery. Yikes...

Did you get anymore info yet?

[KA6823]

How did you find out yours? What symptoms? You are lucky to have found yours and have it fixed

[navywife91]

I also have been diagnosed with one. What were you told? I see a vascular surgeon tomorrow.