Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders | Aneurysms

Definition

Cerebral aneurysm is the enlargement, distention, dilation, bulging, or ballooning of the wall of a cerebral artery or vein. Aneurysms affect arteries throughout the body, including blood vessels in the brain (intracerebral aneurysm). Ruptures of intracerebral aneurysm result in stroke (loss of blood supply to tissue) and bleeding into the subarachnoid space). The most common aneurysm is an abdominal aneurysm.

Description

Dilations, or ballooning, of blood vessels to form an aneurysm are particularly dangerous because they increase the chance of arterial rupture and subsequent bleeding into brain tissues (a hemorrhagic stroke). Rupture of an aneurysm can lead to the leakage of blood into the tissues and spaces surrounding the brain. This leaked blood then clots to form an intracranial hematoma. Aneurysms that rupture can...