Brain Aneurysm

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Brain Aneurysm

A brain aneurysm is when the artery wall becomes weak in one of the arteries supplying blood to the brain. Over time, blood flow through the artery can cause this weakened wall to swell outward, forming a bulging spot like a balloon. The most common location for a brain aneurysm is at the base of the brain.

The dangers of a brain aneurysm

In most cases, a brain aneurysm (cerebral aneurysm) causes no symptoms and goes unnoticed. However, pressure can cause the aneurysm to leak or rupture, which is known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage. This dangerous event allows blood to enter the space around the brain. It can cause stroke, brain damage, or death and usually requires immediate medical treatment.

Symptoms

A large aneurysm may press on tissues and nerves as it grows. It can cause symptoms such as:

Pain above and behind the eye
Numbness
Weakness
Paralysis on one side of the face
Dilated pupil in the eye
Vision changes or double vision

Ruptured aneurysm

When an aneurysm ruptures, the first sign is a sudden and severe headache, followed by symptoms such as:

Double vision
Nausea
Vomiting
Stiff neck
Sensitivity to light
Seizures
Loss of consciousness
Cardiac arrest (stopped heart)

Why choose UAB Medicine

UAB Medicine was the first hospital in Alabama to be certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and The Joint Commission, a nonprofit national health care accreditation agency. This elite designation recognizes hospitals that maintain the staff, training, and technology to treat patients with the most complex strokes, at any time of day or night.

U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UAB Neurology and Neurosurgery among the top programs of their kind in the nation. We handle more than 1,800 stroke cases annually, the most serious of them in our dedicated Neurointensive Care Unit and Stroke Unit.

Here are some highlights of our stroke care:

Stroke care at UAB is delivered by a large team of expert stroke physicians who are on duty 24/7.
UAB has more board-certified vascular neurologists, neurointensivists, endovascular neurosurgeons, and vascular neurosurgeons than any other hospital in Alabama, plus 350 nurses with stroke-specific training.
Our 36-bed Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit is among the largest in the United States.
Because UAB Medicine is a major center for stroke research, patients may have access to promising new stroke treatments not available at other medical centers.

Our stroke treatment process

When a stroke patient arrives at the UAB Hospital Emergency Department, a “Code Stroke” is activated. This code triggers a rapid response team, which evaluates the patient to ensure the most appropriate care in the shortest time possible. Our range of advanced treatments includes acute therapies – such as the clot-busting medication Alteplase (tPA) – and catheter-based procedures like thrombectomy, aspiration, and stenting. The extensive resources and technologies of our neurovascular stroke service are not available at other hospitals in the area.

After admission and initial management, stroke patients are further evaluated in our dedicated Stroke Unit, which is staffed by nurses, physicians, and rehabilitation therapists who specialize in stroke. Every patient undergoes a thorough, individualized diagnostic workup with advanced imaging technologies to determine the underlying cause of the stroke.

When it’s time to begin the recovery process, UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center provides complete rehabilitation programs that are customized to each patient. Also, our Stroke Recovery Clinic helps stroke survivors recover better and with fewer long-term effects. One of only a few such clinics in the country, the Stroke Recovery Clinic combines speech, occupational, and physical therapy with neuropsychology care and social work services.

UAB Medicine strives to provide high-quality, research-based stroke care to our community. The information in this report shows data on key performance measures that reflect our commitment to excellent care.