Cerebral Aneurysm

Research

Research led by Mayo Clinic and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health is helping physicians determine with greater reliability which cerebral aneurysms require immediate intervention and which are best left alone. Some cerebral aneurysms have such a low risk of rupture that they are better left untreated. According to the prospective study of more than 4,000 patients at 61 medical centers (the ISUIA study), aneurysm size and location corresponded to the risk of rupture and subarachnoid hemorrhage. In general, smaller aneurysms under ¼ inch in diameter located in the front part of the brain were less risky than aneurysms located in the back of the brain. Rupture risk also increased substantially in patients age 50 and older, with the highest risk in patients age 60 and above. A history of rupture due to another aneurysm increased the risk of rupture as well.

See news release about ISUIA results.

See ISUIA study on www.mayo.edu.

Mayo Publications

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