Aneurysm clipping

A cerebral aneurysm is a weak spot on a blood vessel in the brain that balloons out and fills with blood. If this ruptures then life threatening consequences may happen. Most cerebral aneurysms do not show symptoms until they rupture. Most of these patients suffer a sudden and extremely severe headache, double vision, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, or loss of consciousness. Diagnosis is made by either CT angiogram or a conventional angiogram.

In the operation theatre room craniotomy is performed (a portion of skull is removed). Using a microscope, the neurosurgeon tracks the blood and the blood vessels to find out the location of the aneurysm. Once the aneurysm is found, a small, metal clip is applied across the base of the aneurysm, preventing blood from entering the aneurysm. Sometimes, if the aneurysm is large, more than one clip may be used. The clip remains in place permanently, preventing it from rupturing.