I am diagonized with two 2mm aneurysms on ICA(paracliniod aneurysm) OCnfirmed by CTA and MRA.
One neurosurgeon suggests that I get the clipping done. but another neurosurgeon says that it is hard to clip very small aneurysms and kept me in observation.
I am worried and confused. Any advise is greatly appreciated.
I am 38 year old male with no familial aneurysm issues.
Thank you
Texas, Small aneurysms are generally observed from what I’ve read. Some consider under 3mm and others under 7mm to just be watched. Seems clipping or coiling is up to the preference of the Neuro Surgeon as well as some guidelines. Both have risks. I think what a neurosurgeon takes into consideration is not only type, location and size, but the risk factors. Also all the research indicates that small aneurysms rarely if ever rupture.
Which specialist has asked for you to return for future scans? They may say every six months to yearly and then every five years. Become informed, stick to sites like the NIH, BAF, WebMD. Remember we are not doctors and have to put some level of trust into the specialists. I would suggest you may want to learn the warning signs so you don’t ignore anything. Good luck!
Many thanks Moltroub.
Sorry Texas my brain doesn’t always put each word in lol, so Dr. Brits wants to follow you with further scans, etc? Who do you trust? Some questions to ask either is why they feel the way they do. I don’t think it’s wrong to ask questions and a lot of them. We are a rare group and their experiences may quantify their decisions. Be prepared with questions when you talk to them. I keep mine in my phone and just give the phone to Dr. Q-W. Do your research, you’ve been given an opportunity to learn, take advantage of it! In the meantime, do all the healthy things doctors always tell us to do and remember to breathe!
Hello Texas,
I had a successful clipping done of a 3mm right MCA aneurysm in August 2015 (about 6 months ago). I saw three of the top neurosurgeons in New York City. Because of the location and shape of my aneurysm, the coiling procedure was not possible. Two out of the three suggested that I do the clipping, while the third said to just monitor.
The two surgeons that suggested to do the clipping put many things into perspective for me. At the time of being diagnosed, I was 24 years old and experiencing a great amount of anxiety after incidentally finding the aneurysm. Both surgeons brought up quality of life and how living with the unruptured aneurysm would affect my well being and experiences of life. At such a young age, I would be limited to certain activities as well as never being able to have children (I know this isn't the main issue for you!). Both surgeons also made a good point about watching with scans - different radiologists read the scans each time they are done. Therefore, one may measure it as 2mm and the next will measure it as 2.5mm, indicating that the aneurysm is unstable and treatment is necessary.
Ultimately, it is your decision to go through with the surgery or if you can deal with the monitoring. Personally, knowing I had the aneurysm was just too much for me to deal with. The surgeons assured me that there was less than 2% risk of any complications from the clipping. I had a successful surgery and was only in the hospital for 3 nights. I was up and walking daily the next week. The recovery is not easy but if you have the will and determination to push through, it will be much easier than you had imagined.
Six months later I still have my days, but overall I feel pretty much back to normal. It is a personal choice, but I can tell you firsthand that I am so glad I chose the surgery route. The risk and outcome of a rupture is much greater than that of the surgery.
If you have any specific questions, you can always message me. I wish you the best of luck in your decision process.
- Cait
Many thnaks Cait390. YOu are giving me more insights and hope.
I like to know more about the recovery after craniatomy. Were you go back to work after 4-6 weeks? you mentioned you have some ups and down duirng some days, can you eloborate and how those issues impacted your daily routine.
Again thank you and appreciate your response.
Cait390 said:
Hello Texas,
I had a successful clipping done of a 3mm right MCA aneurysm in August 2015 (about 6 months ago). I saw three of the top neurosurgeons in New York City. Because of the location and shape of my aneurysm, the coiling procedure was not possible. Two out of the three suggested that I do the clipping, while the third said to just monitor.
The two surgeons that suggested to do the clipping put many things into perspective for me. At the time of being diagnosed, I was 24 years old and experiencing a great amount of anxiety after incidentally finding the aneurysm. Both surgeons brought up quality of life and how living with the unruptured aneurysm would affect my well being and experiences of life. At such a young age, I would be limited to certain activities as well as never being able to have children (I know this isn't the main issue for you!). Both surgeons also made a good point about watching with scans - different radiologists read the scans each time they are done. Therefore, one may measure it as 2mm and the next will measure it as 2.5mm, indicating that the aneurysm is unstable and treatment is necessary.
Ultimately, it is your decision to go through with the surgery or if you can deal with the monitoring. Personally, knowing I had the aneurysm was just too much for me to deal with. The surgeons assured me that there was less than 2% risk of any complications from the clipping. I had a successful surgery and was only in the hospital for 3 nights. I was up and walking daily the next week. The recovery is not easy but if you have the will and determination to push through, it will be much easier than you had imagined.
Six months later I still have my days, but overall I feel pretty much back to normal. It is a personal choice, but I can tell you firsthand that I am so glad I chose the surgery route. The risk and outcome of a rupture is much greater than that of the surgery.
If you have any specific questions, you can always message me. I wish you the best of luck in your decision process.
- Cait
Thank you Moltrub. I feel comfortable reading these type of posts.
Moltroub said:
Sorry Texas my brain doesn't always put each word in lol, so Dr. Brits wants to follow you with further scans, etc? Who do you trust? Some questions to ask either is why they feel the way they do. I don't think it's wrong to ask questions and a lot of them. We are a rare group and their experiences may quantify their decisions. Be prepared with questions when you talk to them. I keep mine in my phone and just give the phone to Dr. Q-W. Do your research, you've been given an opportunity to learn, take advantage of it! In the meantime, do all the healthy things doctors always tell us to do and remember to breathe!
Texas said:
Many thnaks Cait390. YOu are giving me more insights and hope.I like to know more about the recovery after craniatomy. Were you go back to work after 4-6 weeks? you mentioned you have some ups and down duirng some days, can you eloborate and how those issues impacted your daily routine.
you can email me at msjbabu@gmail.com, if you like to take it offline.
Again thank you and appreciate your response.
Cait390 said:Hello Texas,
I had a successful clipping done of a 3mm right MCA aneurysm in August 2015 (about 6 months ago). I saw three of the top neurosurgeons in New York City. Because of the location and shape of my aneurysm, the coiling procedure was not possible. Two out of the three suggested that I do the clipping, while the third said to just monitor.
The two surgeons that suggested to do the clipping put many things into perspective for me. At the time of being diagnosed, I was 24 years old and experiencing a great amount of anxiety after incidentally finding the aneurysm. Both surgeons brought up quality of life and how living with the unruptured aneurysm would affect my well being and experiences of life. At such a young age, I would be limited to certain activities as well as never being able to have children (I know this isn't the main issue for you!). Both surgeons also made a good point about watching with scans - different radiologists read the scans each time they are done. Therefore, one may measure it as 2mm and the next will measure it as 2.5mm, indicating that the aneurysm is unstable and treatment is necessary.
Ultimately, it is your decision to go through with the surgery or if you can deal with the monitoring. Personally, knowing I had the aneurysm was just too much for me to deal with. The surgeons assured me that there was less than 2% risk of any complications from the clipping. I had a successful surgery and was only in the hospital for 3 nights. I was up and walking daily the next week. The recovery is not easy but if you have the will and determination to push through, it will be much easier than you had imagined.
Six months later I still have my days, but overall I feel pretty much back to normal. It is a personal choice, but I can tell you firsthand that I am so glad I chose the surgery route. The risk and outcome of a rupture is much greater than that of the surgery.
If you have any specific questions, you can always message me. I wish you the best of luck in your decision process.
- Cait
Hi,
Like Cait, I also had my clipping of a 3 mm aneurysm in New York City in August. My experience, which I have documented on this site a few times, was amazingly straightforward. I had no pain (was off all pain relievers two days after the operation) and was discharged two days after the clipping. I was up and about at home, though I did rest. I took short walks every day. I am incredibly thankful that I do not have to worry about the aneurysm, since I was very nervous about having it, and obviously about having the clipping too. I went back to work 7 weeks after the procedure, and went from being lazy (a rarity) to working my tail off well into the night. My energy level was normal....everything was normal! I was 54 at the time.
The bottom line in my opinion: There are statistics on the potential rupture rates of aneurysm depending on their size and locations (the internet has a wealth of information on this). The rupture risk is something that I viewed as a concern more over the medium to long term, since really the risk on a daily basis is very very small. Indeed, the rupture risk over my lifetime was 30%, based on various studies performed worldwide. Also, you need to find the most experienced neurosurgeon in aneurysms that you can. You need to have confidence in the decision you make. I saw a total of four neurosurgeons and vascular neurologists before I decided to go ahead. It is quite interesting that I was very anxious while going through the process of making the decision. Once I decided to go through with the operation, I was at peace with my decision, since I knew that I did as much as I could to make a well informed decision and that I was going to a world-class hospital and had a true leader in his field doing the procedure.
Today, I do feel a profound sense of liberty knowing that I don't have this worry. I do travel to very remote places, and so knowing that I am not at risk of a rupture is important.
In short, I found doing a lot of extensive research to empower myself to be in control was very important to me.
Take care and good luck!
Michele