Brain aneurysm

Research

Mayo Clinic doctors trained in brain conditions (neurologists), brain surgery (neurosurgeons), nonsurgical treatments (neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists), brain imaging (neuroradiologists) and others research brain aneurysm development, diagnosis, monitoring, management and treatment. Researchers study which brain aneurysms need to be treated and which can be monitored. Mayo Clinic researchers also study management of subarachnoid hemorrhages. Learn more about research in neurology and neurosurgery.

Mayo Clinic research of note includes:

• Genetic marker. Mayo Clinic researchers discovered evidence of a protein that indicates the presence of a condition (genetic marker) that might help identify brain aneurysms prone to rupture. They identified three variations (polymorphisms) in a gene that regulates production of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), a protein involved in the formation of aneurysms. They found a strong association between the presence of all three variations and a ruptured aneurysm.
• ISUIA study. Research led by Mayo Clinic and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health is helping doctors more reliably determine brain aneurysms that need immediate treatment. The International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms (ISUIA) indicated that aneurysm size and location corresponded to the risk of rupture and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Read more about ISUIA in Clinical Update.

Mayo Clinic publications

See a list of publications on brain aneurysms by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.

Read more about intracranial aneurysm management.