Intracranial aneurysms are still unfamiliar to most people in daily life, but the disease can appear in patients of any age and has a very high mortality rate once it develops, with about one-third of patients having died before they reach the hospital. Intracranial aneurysm can be a time bomb hidden in our body, which can threaten our own life and the lives of our loved ones at any time. So what is an intracranial aneurysm? Here is a clinical knowledge about cerebral aneurysm. What is an intracranial aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a kind of aneurysmal protrusion of the arterial wall caused by a limited abnormal enlargement of the internal lumen of the cerebral artery, and is the first cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a local congenital defect of the cerebral artery wall and an increase in intraluminal pressure. In the past, it was called congenital cerebral aneurysm, but in fact congenital cerebral aneurysms account for 70% to 80% of cerebral aneurysms. Why do you get brain aneurysms? Why did it break? Will it break again? Cerebral aneurysms are usually found at the branches of the bifurcation and trunk of the cerebral arteries. Due to congenital defects in the development of the muscular layer of the arterial wall here and the fact that this is the place where the blood is most impacted, the pressure and impact of long-term blood flow cause the weak points of the arterial wall here to protrude outward and gradually expand, thus forming an aneurysm. Factors such as hypertension, cerebral arteriosclerosis, trauma and infection are also associated with the development of aneurysms. Brain aneurysm is like a balloon blown up on the wall of cerebral blood vessel, which may rupture at any time. When the blood pressure suddenly increases under the triggering factors such as mental tension, emotional excitement, exertion, violent head swing, bending, getting up sharply, drinking alcohol, forceful defecation, lifting heavy objects, going upstairs, sex, etc., it may easily cause rupture and bleeding, which may threaten the patient’s life. According to statistics, the mortality rate of cerebral aneurysm after the 1st rupture is 30%. Therefore, cerebral aneurysm is like an unscheduled bomb buried in human brain, which is in danger of explosion at any time. According to statistics, 40-50% of the patients will have the second rupture within one month after the rupture, and the mortality rate is about 70% after the second rupture and 100% after the third rupture. What are the early signs of cerebral aneurysm? What is the difference between a patient’s headache and a common headache? The most common symptom is a sudden and severe headache caused by a small amount of blood leakage from the aneurysm, which is like a blow to the head with a stick. Secondly, the aneurysm may cause symptoms such as drooping eyelids, inability to open one eye, double vision, partial blindness, loss of vision and facial pain. In addition, there are also symptoms of ischemia due to vasospasm, such as dizziness. The best way to reduce mortality and disability is to treat cerebral aneurysms before they bleed. How are cerebral aneurysms treated? Once an aneurysm is diagnosed, treatment should be actively pursued. The fundamental goal of treatment is to prevent the aneurysm from rupture and bleeding again. Surgery is performed as early as possible to minimize the risk of rebleeding and to reduce the risk of cerebral vasospasm with cerebral infarction and secondary systemic complications after surgery. There are two kinds of treatment methods, one is craniotomy to clip the aneurysm, i.e., to clip the neck of the aneurysm with a special aneurysm clip and protect the patency of the aneurysm-carrying artery; the other is interventional therapy, i.e., endovascular embolization technique, which involves piercing a small opening with a needle at the root of the thigh, inserting a microcatheter and a guidewire into the brain aneurysm, and gradually filling the aneurysm cavity through the microcatheter with a microspring coil or medical biogel until the aneurysm is completely occluded. The aneurysm is completely occluded and the cure is achieved.