I should find out Friday what they are doing to mine. I have read in younger people they are more likely to clip how true is this? What are pros and risks for each procedure?
hi Fiona! their are so many scenarios but I've never heard of the younger people theory-i'm guessing they would prefer patient to be on the younger side since clipping is so invasive- they will carefully weigh each option and hopefully give a recommendation or at least the pros and cons so you can make the best choice. I'll keep you in thoughts and prayers, please let us know. i do know sometimes they cannot coil due to size and location~~
Hi Fiona...you need to Go to the top of page and go to BAF Website and click on it....and read about brain aneurysm's and the procedures, risks, etc., also, a good aid is the Mayo Clinic...or read many of the stories here and many of us talk about what happened to us with our procedures...everything depends on so many things...age, health, where the annie is located, how big the annie is...,etc., ~ I know I am not giving you a direct answer, but trying to help you find the resources...
Keep us posted .. on your appointment..~ Colleen
Hi Fiona-
I recently found out that I will be having the clipping as opposed to the coiling. There are a few reasons for this. The shape and neck width are not optimal. My aneurysm bulges out in two different places and has a very wide neck. This would mean having to use a stent and being on a blood thinner and aspirin for an extended period of time. Possibly for the rest of my life. I am allergic to aspirin, so I would have to take Plavix. I am also 38, so much younger than the preferred age. The coil embolization with stent ( I think also referred to as Pipeline) as only been around 15 years. This means they do not have long term studies and outcomes.
The coil embolization specialist I saw referred me back to the neurosurgeon for clipping. I have seen two neurosurgeons so far, and based on the shape and neck of the aneurysm, both are saying they would recommend clipping.
Coiling- less invasive, lower risk, shorter recovery time, less time in hospital. I mentioned the con's above. I have read on here and through my research that coils can compact and must be corrected. However, this is not always the case.
Clipping- invasive brain surgery. Higher risk, more time in hospital, longer recovery time, more possible complications. I have been told this will "fix" the aneurysm.
I suggest you do lots of research and get a second or even third opinion. Best of luck.
Fiona,
I was 48 on my last clipping, NO PROBLEMS! peace, Janet
Hi Fiona,
I had my clipping done last week, and yes it is quite invasive, but to me it did not feel invasive, it was more the thought of it. My neurosurgeon said that the clippings are permanent but only slightly more dangerous and that's why they tend to do it on younger patients who have their whole lives ahead of them and don't want to have to go back in for corrective surgery when a coil fails or impacts too much on itself requiring another procedure. He also told me that two coilings were more dangerous than one clipping. My biggest problem was anxiety about whether the aneurysm was going to rupture or not and if I had have had a coiling, I would still be constantly worried about whether it would fail and still rupture. Some anni's can have only coiling or only clipping. I had the option of either or neither, ie. just wait and see. One surgeon said definitely clip, the other two said they would probably wait and see and if further treatment was required then they would do the coiling. I decided to go with the first surgeon, he was extremely confident without being arrogant, he really knew what he was talking about, and never rushed me in any of our conversations. Also when they went ahead with the clipping surgery, they found another dome on top of my already elongated, irregular bordered anneurysm that could not be seen on any of my scans, so essentially I would have died when it had ruptured and that was a certainty they couldn't be aware of pre-surgery. I would recommend you listen to all the advice you are given, but be very selective when you are deciding because it will affect the type of life you will be able to live (and whether you want to live if without fear). I personally took more advice from people on this website, of course along with my surgeons advice, but I felt more comfortable with advice from people especially who had been through both coiling and clipping and that's what helped me the most to make up my mind. Good luck to you whatever you decide, it's never an easy choice, but I wish you all the best, I am sitting here writing what seems to be an average email with no assistance. The only slight side affect I would say I have is some blurred vision on the side of the operation and it is improving every day, so that now one week and 3 days post clipping I can hardly notice it at all and some mild headaches which are now barely noticeable and require no analgesia. Anyway, good luck and best wishes to you. Do your research, make your decision and then let it go, let those who will be doing whichever procedure you decide on take on the responsibility from then on. My thoughts will be with you, KK.
Thanks for your response, happy it went well for you. Were you public or private?
Thanks for your response, appreciate it. Hope it all goes well.
Great to know your doing well thanks
I was very , very lucky in that I was completely public and did not pay one cent for my care, not even for my neurosurgeon who is one of the best in Australia. I just hope you are as lucky as I was in this situation, KK.
Did you have a long wait from finding aneurism to surgery? The waiting scares me. How big was yours? Hope you don’t mind the questions.
Fiona,
I've had both procedures done and if I ever am faced again with the choice of clipping or coiling, I will choose clipping, hands down. My coils did compact on me after having them for 3 years--it was very painful, I thought I was having yet another aneurysm, and this sent me thru weeks of uncertainity and fear , I went from 1 hospital to another, and finally was able to make the choice of another clipping to fix my bad coils ( A lot of folks are NOT able to make that decision , once the coils are in place, then clipping can be considered too dangerous) The Permenant fix most appealed to me. No followup angio's to deal with either. It was for me, the right choice. When it comes to age, I was 36 for the 1st clipping, 44 for the coils, and 48 for the clipping to fix my coils. Feel great, no residual headaches. My best to you, Janet
interesting~~~~~ I would choose coils, they are painless except the tiny bruise. No headaches like the clippers. I guess we are are different but with so many similar issues. Happy Easter!!!
I was told that aneurysm surgery is classified as emergency surgery and not elective surgery, so while you are on a "list" as such, you basically can get booked in immediately as long as your surgeon has space. I was diagnosed last October and my neurosurgeon was ready to book me in for the following week, it was me who kept putting it off until December 13th, however I had a complete meltdown the day before and freaked out so much that he refused to operate until I was ready. I needed time to really come to terms with what I was about to do, even though I knew it was the only choice I could really live with, and also to do the practical stuff that no-one talks about ie. getting my will done, power of attorney, enduring guardianship, etc, just in case anything went wrong. That and cleaning my house thoroughly made me feel as prepared as I could be for all possible outcomes, so that I could just let go and trust that whatever happened was supposed to happen and had been prepared for. Some people want it over and done with straight away, I wish I had have been one of those people that can focus only on the practicality, but I was an emotional wreck. Perhaps if I had have had it done straight away it would have been much easier, if I had known how well I would feel within a couple of days after surgery, I wouldn't have had to worry about so much preparation beforehand. In fact I was so sure of having the clipping and having it done by the first surgeon I saw, I really didn't even need to get further opinions (that ended up just confusing me so much more anyway), I'm just really lucky mine didn't rupture during the time I spent stuffing around and getting too emotional about it all. I hope this helps you and if you have any further questions, feel free to ask me anything. Best wishes to you, KK.
Thanks I want mine dealt with asap. Was yours classed as emergency because of size or are they classed as emergencies regatdless of size. Mine is 5mm.
Was it classed as emergency because of size? Or is any aneurism seen as emergency? Mine is 5 mm.
Sorry for double post couldnt see it at first so reposted.
Hi Fiona,
Mine was also 5mm which is classified as small to medium in size. From what my neurosurgeon said, any anuerysm is classified as an emergency as most have about the same chance of rupturing ie. uncertain of when they will rupture (or even if they will at all) regardless of size, however all ruptures have a very high chance of death or permanent severe disability (some studies estimate around 70% chance of death within 4 weeks of rupture, the longer it takes to seek medical treatment, the higher the fatality rates) and are classed as emergency surgery due to the higher associated medical costs without treatment and therefore increased risk of rupture. Different studies will tell you different statistics: some are funded by medical companies wanting to sell the medical equipment; some are very small or only use older/younger/females/non-smokers/one type of ethnic group/etc and therefore not be statistically significant or correct. Some specialists believe the smaller the aneurysm, the smaller the risk of rupture; others suggests that small aneurysms account for up to 90% of all ruptures. Some believe, as mine does, that it is the shape of the aneurysm and the border that will dictate a higher risk of rupture (while mine was not large, it did have an elongated shape and a rough, irregular edge/border to it which indicated that it was a weaker structure and therefore had a much higer risk of rupture. After operating, they also found that it had a daughter dome on it too that could not be seen on any of the scans and that also weakened the aneurysm significantly, again cumulatively adding to the risk of rupture). That is why I decided to go with the clipping surgery- there were just too many uncertainties, risks and also differing opinions, studies, and research that to me were just too stressful and anxiety provoking to live with. It was easier, clearer and more certain for me to go with the slightly higher risk of clipping over coiling and never having to live with thinking or worrying about the aneurysm ever again. Sorry, I've rambled on a bit, the answer to your actual question is that any aneurysm is classed as an emergency for surgical purposes, KK.