Detection and Treatment Guide Updated 2017 Detection-and-Treatment-2017 | Page 17

The neurosurgeon approaches the aneurysm in the opening between the skull
and the brain, but does not go through brain tissue. Under a microscope, the
aneurysm is carefully separated from the normal blood vessels and the brain,
so the neurosurgeon can see it and properly treat it.
The aneurysm is then clipped with a device that resembles a tiny clothespin.
With the clip in place, the aneurysm is totally sealed off, and no more blood can
enter it. The bone plate is then secured into place and the wound is closed.
Aneurysms that are quite large or involve a large section of the blood vessel
may require special procedures, such as putting clips on either side of the
aneurysm or making a bypass around the aneurysm.
After the surgery, you will wake up somewhat cold and slightly dizzy, and
amazed that it is all over. You will need to do breathing exercises. You may
experience nausea and a sore throat.
What will surprise you is how little you remember of the day of the operation,
and how well you feel the next day.
After Treatment
In most cases you will stay at least one night in the Neurological/Neurosurgical
Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The stay in the NICU will be longer for patients with
a ruptured aneurysm to closely monitor for the development of vasospasm.
Once transferred to a hospital room outside of the NICU, most patients are
up within a few days to a week. Patients treated for an unruptured aneurysm
will leave the hospital within a few days, while patients treated for a ruptured
aneurysm will usually leave the hospital within two weeks. However, if
complications arise, the stay will be longer.
If all goes well, recuperation at home takes about a month to six weeks. Your
doctor will clearly define your limitations before you leave the hospital.
16