Unruptured Brain Aneurysm

Posted by badnaples @badnaples, Nov 22, 2021

Hello! I recently found out I have a 4mm ACOM during a CT scan, waiting CT angio appointment, question is....live life normally? OK, to travel (fly), exercise etc. Can't get answers from doc, they say all this will be covered during pre-op which is weeks away and in the meantime causing me anxiety not knowing what I should or should not do. Not sure if I have symptoms, various headaches, mild, dull, various areas of the head, but have those often and for long time, and stuffy nose so assume its sinus. Any help is appreciated, suppose to travel in 48 hours. I read all this about rupturing and frightens me. Is it something that would happen suddenly or gradually from a leak. Help! THank you.

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Profile picture for thirdbird @thirdbird

Diagnosed with an aneurism in my “posterior communicating artery” but don’t know the size yet. Can any of you tell me what is considered small, medium and large, or does it depend on the artery?

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Recalling Neurosurgeon conversation, below 5mm is considered small. Between 5 & 7 mm is medium and over 7 is large

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Profile picture for thirdbird @thirdbird

Diagnosed with an aneurism in my “posterior communicating artery” but don’t know the size yet. Can any of you tell me what is considered small, medium and large, or does it depend on the artery?

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I was diagnosed a year ago with a "posterior communicating artery" aneurysm. Unfortunately, it was found during an MRI check up for a meningioma I had removed via brain surgery. I wasn't in a space to deal with my new diagnosis, the aneurysm, so I did nothing for 6 months. I happened upon the most informative site regarding aneurysms that answered all my questions. Dr. Omar Chouddhri is a neurosurgeon at the University of Pennsylvania. I found a 35 minute presentation given by him on You Tube.com by typing in "Omar Chouddhri aneurysm video" in the search bar. He explained everything in a way a non-medical person could understand. I had already researched many websites with information on aneurysms through Mayo Clinic , Cleveland Clinic, Stanford, etc. but after watching that video I made my decision that I needed to follow up and have it coiled. So I took a quick mini-vacation to Hawaii and then came home and got serious about conferring with a neurosurgeon who specializes in aneurysm repairs. I had the procedure a week before Christmas. Not a big deal. And to answer your question, my understanding is that generally, any aneurysm over 5 mm needs to have an intervention of some kind. Once again, as with meningiomas of the brain, one's age, the location of the aneurysm, and it's size all play into the decision of how to deal with it. Hope that helps.

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Profile picture for raisanicole @raisanicole

Recalling Neurosurgeon conversation, below 5mm is considered small. Between 5 & 7 mm is medium and over 7 is large

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Thank you !

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Profile picture for Maryann @mkoch

I was diagnosed a year ago with a "posterior communicating artery" aneurysm. Unfortunately, it was found during an MRI check up for a meningioma I had removed via brain surgery. I wasn't in a space to deal with my new diagnosis, the aneurysm, so I did nothing for 6 months. I happened upon the most informative site regarding aneurysms that answered all my questions. Dr. Omar Chouddhri is a neurosurgeon at the University of Pennsylvania. I found a 35 minute presentation given by him on You Tube.com by typing in "Omar Chouddhri aneurysm video" in the search bar. He explained everything in a way a non-medical person could understand. I had already researched many websites with information on aneurysms through Mayo Clinic , Cleveland Clinic, Stanford, etc. but after watching that video I made my decision that I needed to follow up and have it coiled. So I took a quick mini-vacation to Hawaii and then came home and got serious about conferring with a neurosurgeon who specializes in aneurysm repairs. I had the procedure a week before Christmas. Not a big deal. And to answer your question, my understanding is that generally, any aneurysm over 5 mm needs to have an intervention of some kind. Once again, as with meningiomas of the brain, one's age, the location of the aneurysm, and it's size all play into the decision of how to deal with it. Hope that helps.

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Thank you! I will watch the video tonight.

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Profile picture for badnaples @badnaples

Thanks! Going to be tough for an avid runner/marathoner to transition to walking 😩

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You can do it.i had two aneusyms in my brain in 2013. I didn't know I had them. I had a seizure and went to doctor the next day. One aneusym was 15 centimeters with a smaller one behind it.my doctor said he had never seen one that big. I had surgery they cut me in my hairline. I have 2 large clips on first anuesym and one clip on the other. I'm okay now but still have trouble calling people's names and I had to learn how to cook and it messed with my sleep I only sleep for 3 to 4 hours at a time. But I have learned how to deal with that. I keep my medical papers with me at all times. Don't know if aneusym caused seizure or not so I chose to take medicine for it. But I do anything I want now. U go deer hunting fishing walking fields looking for arrowheads and take care of my family. I feel that someone was watching over me. They could have busted and I would have died. So don't give up you will get back to doing wh.at you love in n I time

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Profile picture for sarahjo900 @sarahjo900

Additional CT scans tomorrow and appointment is on Monday, Mar 31.

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Hi, @sarahjo900 - how did your CT scans and your March 31 appointment go?

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Hi. I have six unruptured brain aneurysms. All behind my eyes. Two are in the left side of my brain. One has been treated and I’m waiting for my third surgery next month to hopefully get the last three. For the past two days, I have had pressure behind my left eye and sometimes get a pain in my temple that shoots towards the back of my head. Has anyone else experienced this?

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Profile picture for lisa930 @lisa930

Hi. I have six unruptured brain aneurysms. All behind my eyes. Two are in the left side of my brain. One has been treated and I’m waiting for my third surgery next month to hopefully get the last three. For the past two days, I have had pressure behind my left eye and sometimes get a pain in my temple that shoots towards the back of my head. Has anyone else experienced this?

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Hi @lisa930 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Three brain surgeries is significant.

I moved your post here to this existing discussion on unruptured aneurysms so you could chat with others here who've talked about similar circumstances, such as @nancy6822 @mkoch @thirdbird and others.

I'm sorry to hear about the pain in your temple. Have you gotten to ask your neurologist or neurosurgeon about that?

How are you feeling emotionally through this?

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Profile picture for lisa930 @lisa930

Hi. I have six unruptured brain aneurysms. All behind my eyes. Two are in the left side of my brain. One has been treated and I’m waiting for my third surgery next month to hopefully get the last three. For the past two days, I have had pressure behind my left eye and sometimes get a pain in my temple that shoots towards the back of my head. Has anyone else experienced this?

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@lisa930 Three, four, and five years ago I had pain in my left temple that would sometimes "travel" to the side of my head. My P.C.P. tested me for giant cell arteritis. The test came back negative. Then, a few years after that a meningioma was found incidentally on an MRI scan. Long story of dealing with that but after having a craniotomy and having the meningioma removed I no longer have that temple pain. So my point is, it's your brain, and perhaps the presence of a larger aneurysm being there could somehow cause the temple pain.

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I was diagnosed with 4mm BA since 2022. It is stable. I just traveled from NY to Alaska in July,everything is fine.
Maintain your BP with normal range.
Tainan

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