top 20 medical terms to know

---

Treating a brain aneurysm can involve various strategies, depending on the aneurysm's size, location, and the patient's overall health. Here are the top 10 methods doctors use to treat brain aneurysms:

1. Observation and Monitoring: For small, asymptomatic aneurysms, doctors might recommend regular monitoring with imaging tests (like MRI or CT scans) to track any changes in size or shape.

2. Medications: While medications can't treat the aneurysm itself, they can help manage symptoms and reduce risk factors. Blood pressure-lowering drugs, pain relievers, and medications to prevent seizures are commonly used.

3. Endovascular Coiling: This minimally invasive procedure involves threading a catheter through the blood vessels to the aneurysm site and inserting platinum coils. These coils induce clotting, which blocks blood flow to the aneurysm and reduces the risk of rupture.

4. Surgical Clipping: This is a more invasive procedure where a neurosurgeon places a small metal clip at the base of the aneurysm to isolate it from normal blood circulation. This prevents the aneurysm from filling with blood and thus prevents rupture.

5. Flow Diversion: A newer technique that uses a stent-like device to divert blood flow away from the aneurysm. The device is placed in the artery, causing blood to bypass the aneurysm and promoting healing of the vessel.

6. Parent Artery Occlusion: In some cases, the artery feeding the aneurysm is completely blocked. This procedure is used when other treatments are not feasible and involves occluding the parent artery, which stops blood flow to the aneurysm.

7. Pipeline Embolization Device (PED): Similar to flow diversion, this device is a specialized stent that is placed in the artery to divert blood flow away from the aneurysm, allowing it to heal and eventually shrink.

8. Stereotactic Radiosurgery: This non-invasive procedure uses focused radiation beams to target the aneurysm. It is generally used for aneurysms that are not suitable for surgical intervention.

9. Liquid Embolic Agents: These agents, such as Onyx, are injected into the aneurysm through a catheter. They harden within the aneurysm, creating a blockage that prevents blood flow into it.

10. Lifestyle Modifications: Although not a direct treatment, doctors often recommend lifestyle changes to reduce risk factors. These include quitting smoking, managing hypertension, reducing alcohol consumption, and maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine.

Each treatment option is chosen based on the specific characteristics of the aneurysm and the overall health of the patient, often involving a multidisciplinary team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, and radiologists.