It happens to otherwise healthy athletes lifting weights at the gym. Women giving birth are prime candidates. Movers and packers have fallen victim while on the job and even ordinary people using the toilet have suffered. What do they all have in common?
When exerting excess pressure through activities like these, an unnatural flow of blood rushes to the brain thus putting yourself at higher risk of developing aneurysms, which occur when an artery’s wall weakens, causing it to bulge. If ruptured, it proves deadly in approximately 40% of cases.
According to leading brain surgeon Martin Mortazavi, M.D., founder of California Institute of Neuroscience in Thousand Oaks, an estimated one in 50 Americans has an undetected aneurysm. Unlike ruptured aneurysms that feel like a “knife penetrating the brain,” un-ruptured aneurysms rarely show symptoms, leaving those affected to become, in Mortazavi’s words, “walking time bombs.”
So what can you do to avoid developing an aneurysm? Who is most at risk? How can you learn whether or not you may have one?
“An undetected brain aneurysm has a significant risk of rupturing the longer it goes undetected and the larger the aneurysm the greater the danger. Smokers and those with high blood pressure are prime candidates,” said Mortazavi.
Added neurosurgeon Dr. Sean Xin, Mortazavi’s colleage at the California Institute of Neuroscience, “If the aneurysm ruptures, patients typically experience throbbing headaches, paralysis, vision loss and/or loss of consciousness. These symptoms worsen rapidly so immediate medical intervention is critical to saving lives”
Mortazavi reports that un-ruptured brain aneurysms may be detected through CT - Angiograms (CTA) or Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (MRA), both of which are excellent tools for examining blood vessels in the brain. These types of screenings, though, are often cost prohibitive for many and often not covered by medical insurance. While CTAs are more accurate and less expensive, they expose the brain to small doses of radiation, which can kill brain cells that cannot be regenerated. MRAs cost more than CTAs but don’t have those side effects.
“I encourage those 50+ with risk factors including smoking, high blood pressure and no renal dysfunction to consider undergoing such screenings," he said.
Under the direction of Mortazavi, California Institute of Neuroscience has earned a stellar reputation in the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment and post-surgical aspects of a range of disorders affecting the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and cerebrovascular system. The team, who are experts at treating aneurysms, AVM, skull base tumors such as pituitary tumors, acoustic neuromas, and meningiomas, trigeminal neuralgia, and any other medical condition related to the brain and spine, employ the safest and latest technology to give patients a new lease on life.
Among the areas of specialty: neurology, neurosurgery, psychology, psychiatry, cranial maxillofacial plastic surgery, spine/peripheral neurosurgery and neuro-ophthalmology. These comprehensive services offer the patient a holistic approach to care not commonly found in typical neurosurgical practices. Visit cineuro.org or call (805) 795-7656.