Brain Aneurysms in Children

Brain aneurysms are ticking time bombs in the brain. Fortunately, they are very rare in children. Most of the risk factors associated with brain aneurysms do not occur in children, and those that do are usually genetic. However, brain aneurysms in children are just as life threatening as in adults and require much of the same diagnostic process and treatment.

Brain Aneurysms

• When a blood vessel widens or balloons due to weakening walls, it is called an aneurysm. As the vessel begins to balloon, it becomes more likely to burst. No one can predict when an aneurysm will burst and leak blood into surrounding areas. Aneurysms can occur in nearly any blood vessel in your body, but a brain aneurysm is one of the most dangerous kinds. A ruptured brain aneurysm can lead to sudden death or brain damage.

Risk Factors

• Most of the factors that put an adult at risk for a brain aneurysm, such as tobacco smoking or high blood pressure, are not normal in children. If a child develops a brain aneurysm, it is more likely to be associated with a genetic disorder, such as polycystic kidney disease, which comes with the growth of many kidney cysts. Another genetic disorder that can contribute to a child's brain aneurysm is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. This is actually a group of disorders that is characterized by damaged tissue, including blood vessels. Fortunately, if your child is diagnosed with one of these disorders that can put them at risk for brain aneurysms, your health care provider will be able to closely monitor your child for them.

Symptoms

• The first sign that your child may have a brain aneurysm is an intense, very painful headache. This headache will feel completely different from any other headache pain.
  Although physicians still cannot predict when an aneurysm will rupture, the intense headache usually occurs within a week or two before the rupture. Your child may also experience neck stiffness or nausea. You may also notice increased sensitivity to light. In some cases, a seizure can be a symptom of an aneurysm.

Diagnosis

• If your child is at risk for a brain aneurysm and experiences any one of these symptoms, you must seek treatment from his health care provider immediately. The health care provider will often run a computed tomography scan (CT scan) which takes a three-dimensional X-ray of your brain. This can detect brain swelling and other side effects of a ruptured brain aneurysm. A magnetic resonance angiography (MRI) may be used to detect unruptured aneurysms, because it provides the same type of picture as a CT scan but with greater contrast, allowing your health care provider to see an aneurysm much clearer.

Treatment

• In nearly all childhood aneurysm cases, surgical removal is the best course of treatment. In severe cases in which the child has lapsed into a coma or has other medical complications, surgery may be delayed until it is less risky. If the aneurysm has already ruptured, your child may also be treated for fluid buildup in the brain. He may have to have a drainage device implanted in the skull to allow blood, other fluids and pressure to be drained from the brain. Anti-seizure medication is also given to the child to avoid any seizures related to the aneurysm. Most patients will also receive nimodipine, a calcium channel blocker medication. Ruptured aneurysms will often cause blood vessel spasm, and nimodipine will prevent those.