Growth, not just size, boosts brain aneurysms' risk of bursting

Brain aneurysms of all sizes — even small ones the size of a pea — are up to 12 times more likely to rupture if they are growing, according to a new UCLA study.   Published July 2 in the online edition of the journal Radiology, the discovery counters current guidelines suggesting that small aneurysms pose a low risk for rupture, and it emphasizes the need for regular monitoring and earlier treatment.   "Until now, we believed that large aneurysms presented the highest risk for rupture and that smaller aneurysms may not require monitoring," said lead author Dr. J. Pablo Villablanca, chief of diagnostic neuroradiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Our findings show this is not the case and shed light on additional risk factors for rupture in aneurysms of all sizes."   An aneurysm occurs at a weak spot in an artery that supplies blood to the brain. The artery wall bulges outward, creating a balloon filled with blood. If an aneurysm ruptures, blood leaks into or around the brain, which can cause stroke, paralysis, brain damage or death.   An estimated 6 million people in the U.S., one in 50, live with a brain aneurysm, most with no symptoms. But brain aneurysms rupture in some 30,000 Americans each year. The prognosis is grim: About 40 percent die before reaching the hospital, and another third die within the first 30 days post-rupture. The majority of those who survive are left with permanent b...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news