My recent CT angiogram showed no increase in the size of my left PCOM aneurysm but the consultant has again offered the catheter angiogram. It’s still at around the 2mm mark.When I met him last year, he inadvertently left the 1st MDT report on his computer screen. It talked about stent surgery but when I questioned him about it, he took it off the screen and said - let’s deal with things one step at a time, which meant the catheter angiogram.
My headaches are worse and I can’t stand the heat. Heat is usually one of the triggers.
UK based science journals say that a small PCOM aneurysm doen’t necessarily mean low rupture risk. I know that the PCOM artery is very thin so the thought of the stent getting clogged up is scaring me but then the only other option would be clipping.
Do stents clog up?
Hey FeeFo! An angiogram is the best way for the doctors to see what is really going on in whatever artery. Where my aneurysm is, it’s not a candidate for a stent. There are risks to an angiogram as with any procedure. My surgeon does use the MRA with and without contrast, if the MRA shows her something concerning, she goes in to see with an angiogram. If the angiogram is concerning, she goes in and places more coils. The last time she used a scepter ballon along with more coils. She has done this three times, when I ruptured and then two following procedures. Except for the rupture, I don’t have a procedure with the angiogram I call the “look-see“, because she goes in to look and sees if she has to do something, Then she goes back in again usually within a week or two. We got to the point that we thought every angiogram meant another procedure, but when she went in the last time, I was given a two year break from them! I have not heard of a stent getting plugged, in fact they use them for arteries that are clogged to help prevent ischemic strokes. I found an article on stents but not specific to PCOMs. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3317336/
I hope those that have PCOMs stabilized will comment,