What does having a small aneurysm mean?

[Maxi111]

My daughter just heard from her doctor that she has a tiny aneurysm and she was referred to another doctor?  The first doctor only told her that she may have always had it.

What is this aneurysm and how is it treated?  Also, what caused it?

[dr_simran]

Hello Maxi111,
Aneurysm is a localized, blood-filled dilation (balloon-like bulge) of a blood vessel caused by disease or weakening of the vessel wall. Aneurysms most commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain (the circle of Willis) and in the aorta (the main artery coming out of the heart), a so-called aortic aneurysm. The bulge in a blood vessel can burst and lead to death at any time. The larger an aneurysm becomes, the more likely it is to burst and since aneurysms naturally grow, given enough time they will inevitably reach the bursting point if undetected. Rupture and blood clotting are the risks involved with aneurysms. Rupture leads to drop in blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and lightheadedness. The risk of death is high except for rupture in the extremities.
What is the age of your daughter? Since how long it has been diagnosed? Are they multiple or single? Answers to these questions would further help.
Refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aneurysm

Best.

[Maxi111]

Thank you for your response.  My daughter just found out about this on Friday and she is calling the doctor today, Monday.  She is 25.  I do not know if they are multiple or single - what is this - do you mean more than one aneurysm?  This was detected because she had been having headaches and had an MRI done.  Is there something that can be done to stop the growth?

[Sammy1]

I think aneurysms are more common then people think. Many times people will go through life with them and they will never cause a problem.  Of course the smaller they are, the better it is and a small one would be looked at by a doctor periodically.
Good Luck

[crwstar]

Hi, I am sorry to hear of your daughters diagnosis. I also went in and had an MRI/MRA due to headaches and found out I had a small aneurysm along with a pituitary tumor. It is possible to have multiple aneurysms, sounds like your daughter has one based on the tests. In my search for support it has been harder to find people who have unruptured one's as unfortunately most people find out about these things after they burst. I'm curious if your daughters doctors will tell her the aneurysm isn't the cause of her headaches...this is what I was told. Please keep us posted. I'm always interested in hearing from people who are in the wait and watch group. Feel free to msg me if you have an questions - I was recently diagnosed earlier this year so its still new for me.

Crwstar

[Maxi111]

Thanks for your comments to Maxi111.  My daughter also just had an MRI on her neck and has not gotten the results.  She has an appointment with a specialist on 9/8 so I will report back after that.

[Maxi111]

My daughter saw a neurologist who said she did not have an aneurysm but migraines.  The doctor is going to check her in a couple of months but meanwhile, the neurologist will send her to a headache specialist.

[crwstar]

Hi, so glad to hear the news for your daughter!! It is always good news when something we thought we had turns out to not be so. That said ;-) I feel compelled to ask some questions and hope its ok.

How did they discover that she did not have an aneurysm? Did she have a MRA done? If I may, I would like to suggest that you make sure you get the test results - both the MRI film and the written report and read it if you haven't done so.

I'll tell you just a little about what happened with me. My neurologist at the time read the report that stated "suspicion of an aneurysm" and for what ever reason decided not to tell me and decided that I did not have an aneurysm. To this day I do not know why she did this. Her staff told me this over the phone as I was asking questions......Anyway, I found out by going to my primary care doctor a few weeks later that I had this suspicion on an aneurysm and it was read outloud in front of me. I was in a tiny bit of shock. To make a long story short - I was referred to a neurosurgeon where he looked at my films and said of course you have an aneurysm albeit a small one. This doctor was able to help me develope a plan on watching it for now. So from now on I always get my test results. What this neurologist didn't know and even I didn't know was that I have a family history of aneurysms so even more important that I have a plan in place.

I'm sure this is not the case here and non the less please make sure you get the results and read the report yourself.

I wish you and your daughter many blessings ;-)

Crwstar

[roziej]

I've had an aneurysm since 2005 measures about 4mm and just had a CT and size is the same, but there is another one that is 1.5mm.  The doctor is watching to make sure it does not grow.  I have to have a CT/MRI every year.  I started having headaches dizziness and my balance was off.  I was also diagnosed with Vertigo in 2005.  The MRI showed that I have demyelination which is what happens to people who have MS. After a couple of months all of the symptoms went away.  I was so scarred when all of these things were taking place, but now I'm fine and just dealing with life in stages.  Now that I have another aneurysm I can only try to live stress free.  My doctor told me to be a good girl and don't smoke.  He doesn't have to worry about that.  If you are a smoker it will increase the chance of the aneurysm to burst.