Brain Aneurysms
What is a brain aneurysm? One could define a brain aneurysm as bulging, weak area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain. Over time, weak areas in the walls bulge out causing the blood vessel walls to become weaker as the aneurysm grows (Simon). In most human beings, a brain aneurysm can go undetected for years even possibly ones entire life. Some people however are not so lucky, in some instances, the aneurysm can rupture or explode, causing a hemorrhagic stroke, which is known as the type of stroke that causes bleeding in the brain. It is a known fact that approximately 8% of all strokes occuring world wide, are caused from the rupturing of brain aneurysms. Those are the unlucky people, fortunately, about 94% of all brain aneurysms do not rupture at all, and people are able to live their lives normally, just of course being careful not to do anything to severely damage their head (Nisacara).
“The brain is the control center for your body. Your brain receives messages from your body. It also sends messages to other parts of your body” (DeGezelle). Quite arguably, the brain is the most significant aspect contained within your body. Since it does control every move your body makes and every word that comes out of your mouth. What can cause a brain aneurysm? Unfortunately, not much is actually known about aneurysms and why they develop in certain people and not in others. Approximately 5% of people living in the United States, have at least one brain aneurysm and are unaware of its presence. Doctors believe that, any person who has a relative who has had a brain aneurysm is susceptible to having one. Studies have shown that people who have had a close relative, such as a parent or sibling con...
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... usually detected when someone goes into the doctor for a head injury or some kind of pain completely unrelated to the aneurysm. A computed tomography (CT) scan may be used to help identify any bleeding in the brain. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), being similar to a CT, uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to provide pictures of blood vessels inside the body. A dye is often used during the procedure to make blood vessels appear more clear. Lastly, a cerebral angiogram may be done. This is an x-ray test, where a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel, usually in the groin or arm and moved from the vessel into the brain. A dye is also injected. The dye used allows any problem areas in the artery, to be viewed by a radiologist on their x-ray. Although this test is more invasive, it is the best way to locate a small brain aneurysm (Nisacara).
This damage is called chronic traumatic encephalopathy and it occurs when individuals suffer from many concussions or any other form of head injury. This damage has a lasting affect and can cause people to die at an earlier age then which they should. The life expectancy goes down for people with chronic
Other testing procedures that are commonly employed, in order to gain a better visual image of the excitatory activity in the brain are the PET scan and the MRI. According to Kalat (2004), these methods are non-invasive, meaning that they don’t require the insertion of objects into the brain, yet they yield results that allow researchers to record brain activity. The PET scan (positron emission tomography) involves the researcher injecting a radioactive chemical into the patient’s body, which is then absorbed mainly by the brain’s most active cells. With the use of radioactive detectors, placed around the patient’s head, a map is produced that shows which areas of the brain are most active.
While doing research on how concussions affected the brain, they came upon SIS. SIS raised concern in the sports community, they found that they need to be more cautious with the care and d management of athletes the suffered head injuries. '" occurs when an athlete who has sustained an initial head injury, most often a concussions, then sustains a second head injury before symptoms associated with the first have fully healed (Cantu and Voy 1995).'" Michael Bay was a athlete that got a concussions, shortly after he was hit again while being in practice. Mr. Bay die in a deep coma, after the medical examiner perform the autopsy it was found that Michael cause of death was a massive cerebral edema ( a cerebral edema is "the accumulation of fluid in and resultant swelling of the brain that may be caused by trauma, a tumor, lack of oxygen at high altitudes, or exposure to toxic substances." MedlinePlus). The next one is the intracranial injury, there are four major types of intracranial injuries: epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma, intracranial hematoma, and cerebral contusion. The epidural hematoma is a bleeding that develops between the dura and the cranial bones. Subdural hematoma is also a bleed, but it develops below the dura mater. The intracranial hematoma is a bleed that happens within the brain tissue. And the last one the cerebral contusion is
A serious brain injury could lead to bleeding in or around your brain, causing symptoms that may develop right away or later.
One of the most recently new advances in radiology is the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI has been around for the past century. It was at first called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and then it changed to MRI once there was an available image. Walter Gerlach and Otto Stern were the first scientists to start experimenting with the magnetic imaging. Their very first experiment was looking at the magnetic moments of silver by using some type of x-ray beam. The scientists then discovered this was by realizing that the magnetic force in the equipment and in the object itself. In 1975, the first image was finally created using and MRI machine. The scientists used a Fourier Transformation machine to reconstruct images into 2D. The first images ever use diagnostically was in 1980. This is when hospitals began to use them. At first the images took hours to develop and were only used on the patients that needed it most. Even though MRI has been around for a long time, it has advanced and has been one of the best imaging modalities recently (Geva, 2006).
Irwin and Rippe (2007, p382) define an aneurysm as; “a segment of the aortic lumen whose diameter exceeds 1.5 times the normal diameter for that segment”, and that “The most commonly encountered aortic aneurysm morphology is fusiform.“ This can be caused by a mechanical weakening of the muscle fibres in the arterial wall with resultant degenerative changes. High pressure of blood flow can cause the arterial wall to protrude or ultimately rupture, (HealthGuidance, Abdominal Aneurysm, 2011).
Neil. (2003, October 1). Triple-H therapy in the management of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. The Lancet Neurology, 2(10), 614-620. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(03)00531-3
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been around since the 1930s. An MRI machine has a great purpose in the medical field. It is a radiology technique that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer to produce images of body structures, such as a patient’s head, chest, blood vessels, bones and joints, and much more. MRI machines help doctors figure out what is wrong with their patient's bodies. It allows doctors to take a closer look at a certain location and see things that other machines cannot see. By using this machine, it helps doctors figure out the problem faster and allows them to try and find a treatment or a cure.
Hemorrhagic strokes are more rare comprising only about 15 percent of all strokes. Although less common, hemorrhagic strokes are still responsible for 40% of all stroke fatalities. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a weakened blood vessel begins to leak or a brain aneurysm bursts. This causes blood to infuse the tissue in or around the brain ultimately causing swelling, pressure, and tissue damage resulting in cellular
It is caused by clot that blocks blood vessels from supplying blood to the brain through cerebrovascular events. If there is no blood in the brain, then there is no oxygen or nutrients because it is blood that supplies it to the brain. This can cause permanent brain damage which can cause inflammation. Fasting has there been known to be effective and efficient against stroke because it increases cognitive functioning and health of the brain. In addition, fasting has been known to increase neuro-protective proteins and reduction in inflammatory substance known as cytokines. This is critical reducing the chances of damaging the brain that can cause
A brain hemorrhage is a medical condition in which a blood vessel located in the brain bursts and produces internal bleeding. This condition is fatal if not caught and treated soon. Nearly half of people with a brain bleed die within two days, and only 12% of people are recover within one month.
Obstructions such as tumors can interrupt normal brain activity, leading to deficits of normal reasoning, motor control, or consciousness. Many of the signs of neural damage are easily recognizable by an outside observer, but since the actual cause of these problems are internal, the symptoms can be vague. The real deficits can affect the brain’s anatomy, or the way signals are processed. A physician can only determine the real cause by examining the brain internally to find irregularities, either in structure or in functioning.
Other risk factors include tobacco smoking, obesity, high blood cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, previous TIA and atrial fibrillation. An ischemic stroke is typically caused by blockage of a blood vessel, though there are also less common causes. A hemorrhagic stroke is caused by either bleeding directly into the brain or into the space between the brain's membranes. Bleeding may occur due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. Diagnosis is typically with medical imaging such as a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan along with a physical exam.
The nature and extent of damage depends on the size and location of the affected blood vessels. b) Like all organs, the brain needs the oxygen and nutrients provided by blood to function properly. If the supply of blood is restricted or stopped, brain cells begin to die. This can lead to brain injury, disability, and possibly death. There are two main causes of strokes: ischaemic – where the blood supply is stopped due to a blood clot (this accounts for 85% of all cases) haemorrhagic – where a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain bursts.
My grandmother has been a very important person throughout my life. My entire childhood was spent with her, but once I started getting older, it has been hard to keep up with each other. During this time of our distant relationship, she experience a ruptured brain aneurysm, and I have never gotten the opportunity to sit down with her and learn more about this. She cannot recall anything that happened after when she was experiencing symptoms up until four to five months post insult, so I also referred to my mom and her husband for this time period.