How To Treat A Brain Aneurysm

Surgical Clipping

Surgical clipping is a surgical procedure that treats an aneurysm, though it's more invasive than coiling. The goal of the surgery is to keep blood from circulating into the aneurysm without impeding circulation through normal blood vessels. The patient is given general anesthesia, and an incision is made in their skull. The surgeon will place a small clip along the base of the aneurysm, which blocks further blood from entering it. Each clip is made out of titanium and permanently stays on the artery. 

Ruptured aneurysms can be treated with surgical clipping. There is a risk of bleeding that's heightened thirty-five percent within the first fourteen days following the initial bleed. It's best to perform the surgery within seventy-two hours following the first bleed to avoid more life-threatening bleeding. Unruptured aneurysms can also be treated with clipping. If the aneurysm ruptures, there's a forty percent risk of death and eighty percent risk of disability. Doctors can talk about their patient's surgical options and whether surgery for their aneurysm is a good idea.