The new head of neurosurgery

Machine Ambulance was taken to the neurosurgery Institute of the young man. Yesterday he was perfectly healthy - he never had a headache, it worked, went in for sports. And then quite suddenly - a severe headache, repeated vomiting, then loss of consciousness. The patient urgently do a lumbar puncture. Instead colorless transparent liquor from the needle is in dark red blood. Now it becomes clear why the serious condition of the patient - broke one of the arteries of the brain, and the blood poured out in his podvolochnoye space. Doctors call this disease subarachnoid (i.e. under the arachnoid membrane of the brain) hemorrhage.
What is the reason for "breakthrough of blood to the brain"? In elderly people with high blood pressure such cause may be serious changes in cerebral blood vessels in the lime deposits in the walls (arteriosclerosis). Usually there is a break (or thrombosis) deep vessels of the brain. Poured out the blood accumulates in the thickness of the brain and rarely breaks under his shell.
But why can burst an artery in the brain, a young man with normal blood pressure and without any signs of atherosclerosis? In most cases, the reason for this gap is the so-called cerebral aneurism.
Carefully look at the x-ray image of a patient's head on the tab. This is not just a snapshot, and angiogram, which we have said above. You see vascular (blood) network brain filled by contrast agent, entered in the carotid artery. Note that part of the artery to which the arrow points. In this place clearly visible filled with contrast large circular shaped protrusion of the vascular wall. This is the aneurysm.
We won't dwell on complex scientific theories dealing with the origin of this rare disease. As a curiosity, we can mention only that the English scientist Walton has found what he believes, description of deaths from a ruptured aneurysm -- in the Bible.
One thing is important - under the influence of any physical or emotional stress associated with increased blood pressure dramatically thinned wall such saccular" (as it often called) aneurysms can burst. Then there is the terrible state that we have described above. About half of these patients aneurysm rupture leads to death. Thus if a patient and survives above him constantly hanging sword of Damocles hemorrhage. Observations showed that out of five patients who had ruptured cerebral aneurism, three dead, one is disabled and only one recovers.
As until recently was treated this is a very serious disease? Absolute rest, some are not very effective medications - here, perhaps, and all.
A few years ago aneurysm became the object simultaneously well-prepared attack neurosurgeons a number of countries. However, isolated attempts of removal aneurysms have been made in the past twenty to thirty years ago. These neurosurgeons were brave people, they were trying to go hard and unexplored way.
However, at that time neurosurgery has not yet reached that level of development at which successful operations would become possible.
Indeed, these operations are one of the most difficult and complex in neurosurgery. Main branches four main arteries feeding the brain, located in the most remote of neurosurgical departments - on the base of the brain. These thick arterial trunks form a special ring. Usually, aneurysms are formed on these main arterial trunks lying deep in the brain in the immediate proximity to the vital centers of the brain stem.
The indispensable condition of successful surgical treatment of aneurysms of the brain is accurate and reliable diagnosis. In other words, you must know exactly where aneurysm, what are its size and shape, is there one aneurysm or several of them, and so on, the Most correct answers to all these questions neurosurgeon has a wonderful method of diagnosis - angiography of the brain.
It would be an exaggeration to say that today surgery in aneurysms of the brain can be done in the ordinary district hospital. While this is still a matter for the future. Only a neurosurgeon of the highest qualification, armed not only knowledge and experience, but also the latest tools and special very complex equipment, has the moral right to operate such patients.
Surgery aneurysms, vascular brain extremely rapidly evolving and improving. Today mortality after these operations almost twice less, than at usual treatment. For this simple dial - saved hundreds of lives.

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