Why is this procedure done?
You have many blood vessels in your brain. If the wall of a blood vessel gets weak, it can stretch or bulge in one part. This is called a brain aneurysm. An aneurysm may leak or break open. This is an emergency. Doctors may treat a brain aneurysm in different ways. They may: ‚
- Put a tiny clip on the blood vessel
- Put a coil or plug in the blood vessel
- Remove the aneurysm with surgery
- Block the blood vessel with microvascular occlusion
Microvascular occlusion is blocking the blood vessel that leads to the brain aneurysm. This procedure keeps the swollen blood vessel from breaking open by cutting off the blood flow to it. This procedure is also done to treat a ruptured aneurysm. ‚
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What will the results be?
- Keeps the blood vessel from breaking open
- Prevents more damage caused by a ruptured aneurysm, like bleeding and stroke.
What happens before the procedure?
- If it is an emergency, there is no preparation needed for this surgery.
- If your surgery is planned, your doctor will take your history. Talk to your doctor about:
- All the drugs you are taking. Be sure to include all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, and herbal supplements. Tell the doctor about any drug allergy. Bring a list of drugs you take with you.
- Any bleeding problems. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking any drugs that may cause bleeding. Some of these are Coumadin ‚ ®, ibuprofen, Aleve ‚ ® (naproxen), or aspirin. Certain vitamins and herbs, such as garlic and fish oil, may also add to the risk for bleeding. You may need to stop these drugs as well. Talk to your doctor about them.
- When you need to stop eating or drinking before your procedure.
- Your doctor will do an exam and may order:
- Ultrasound
- CT or MRI scan
- Angiogram
- You will not be allowed to drive right away after the procedure. Ask a family member or a friend to drive you home.
What happens during the procedure?
- Once you are in the operating room, you will be given a drug to make you sleepy. It will also help you stay pain free during the surgery. The staff will put an I.V. in your arm to give you fluids and drugs.
- When you are asleep, the doctors put a tube in your mouth to help you breathe. They also put another small tube in your nose. This one goes down to your stomach to drain out any food or fluid during surgery. You will have another tube in your bladder to drain urine.
- The doctor removes a small part of your skull. This is called a craniotomy. It will let the doctor see your brain and the aneurysm.
- The doctor will put a clamp on the artery to stop the blood flow going to the aneurysm.
- The doctor may also do a bypass procedure. This reroutes the blood flow to keep the other arteries of the brain healthy.
- The doctor will put the bone of the skull back. The doctor will close the cut on your scalp with stitches and cover it with clean bandages.
- This procedure may take 3 to 5 hours.
What happens after the procedure?
- You will go to the Intensive Care Unit after surgery and the staff will watch you closely. The staff will take out your breathing tube when you are awake and strong enough to breathe. You may have a sore throat afterwards.
- Your face or head may be swollen for a few days.
- The tube in your stomach and the tube in your bladder to drain urine will be removed.
- Within a day or two, you will get out of bed to a chair. The staff will help you begin to walk around. Doing coughing and deep breathing exercises will help keep your lungs clear. You will get drugs through your I.V. to help with your pain.
- You may stay in the hospital for about 6 days or longer if you have problems.
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Take your drugs as ordered by your doctor.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work, driving, or sex
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- Your doctor may suggest that you go to rehab therapy, if needed.
Will physical activity be limited?
Rest is important. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of activity for you. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Swelling of the brain
- Bleeding in the brain
- Infection
- Seizures
- Stroke
- Brain injury
When do I need to call the doctor?
Activate the emergency medical system right away if you have signs of stroke. Call 911 in the United States or Canada. The sooner treatment begins, the better your chances for recovery. Call for emergency help right away if you have: ‚
- Signs of stroke:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Call your doctor if you have: ‚
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Headache that wont go away after taking pain drugs
- Seizures
- Upset stomach and throwing up more than 3 times in the next 48 hours
- Feeling dizzy or light headed
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚