Understanding the Formation and Risks of Cerebral Aneurysms

The brain in vascularized by two major blood vessel systems; the carotid arteries, which extend up either side of the front of the neck, and the vertebral arteries, which extend up the length of the spinal cord to form one basilar artery at the base of the skull. These two arteries connect around the brainstem to form the Circle of Willis, from which several other artery systems branch (Brain Aneurysm Foundation n.d.). In order to allow the blood to flow properly, the artery walls are composed of both a muscular and an elastic layer. Sometimes, a weak spot in the walls of these arteries occur due to disease, birth defects, or injury, particularly in areas where the arteries branch out. The thin spot of the artery wall gradually becomes weaker from the constant pressure of pumping blood, forming a cerebral aneurysm (Brain Aneurysm 2016). The most common form of aneurysm, a saccular, or “berry” aneurysm, is characterized by the ballooning out of the artery wall in a Y-shaped segment of branching.

As the size of the aneurysm increases from the constant barrage of pumping blood, it becomes more dangerous; the wall of the artery becomes gradually thinner, the

If tests confirm a ruptured aneurysm, surgical action must be taken in the form of surgical clipping or endovascular coiling. Surgical clipping requires the surgeon to make a hole in the skull near the site of the rupture. A small metal clip is then placed on the stem of the aneurysm, blocking the blood flow. Endovascular coiling involves the insertion of a catheter into an artery near the groin and feeding the catheter through arteries until it reaches the aneurysm. A flexible wire is then coiled into the aneurysm, which forms a blood clot, isolating the aneurysm from the rest of the artery (Brain Aneurysm