Neurosurgical
You may get medicine so you will be asleep during the procedure. Or you may be awake, but you will not feel pain. You will probably stay in the hospital for 1 or 2 days. You may be able to go back to work or your usual routine in 3 to 7 days.
The operation generally takes 3-5 hours or longer if a complex craniotomy is planned. You will lie on the operating table and be given general anesthesia. After you are asleep, your head is placed in a three-pin skull fixation device, which attaches to the table and holds your head in position during surgery.
After brain aneurysm surgery, healthcare professionals move a patient to the intensive care unit (ICU). They observe them for several days before moving them to a regular hospital room. Many people wake up within a few hours after surgery.
After the Procedure
The hospital stay after craniotomy and aneurysm clipping is usually 4 to 6 days.
Abdominal aortic repair is a major surgical procedure done to treat an aortic aneurysm. Elective surgery on an abdominal aortic aneurysm is indicated when an aneurysm is four or five cm or larger. Usually, the aneurysm is resected, and the aorta is replaced with a tube graft.
In the days after brain aneurysm surgery, you will be closely monitored in the hospital. You may need to stay in the neurological intensive care unit (ICU) for several days or longer, and you will be able to go to a regular neurological unit in the hospital as your health stabilizes.
Surgical related permanent morbidity was 3.44% (4 patients) and transient surgical-related mild morbidities was 7.7% (9 patients). Immediate postsurgical good outcome (Glasgow Outcome Score = 4-5) was 87.93% (102 patients) and 95.68% in 3 months (111 patients).
In this meta-analysis of 61 studies, we found that clipping of unruptured aneurysms was associated with a mortality of 2.6% (95% CI, 2.0% to 3.3%) and a morbidity of 10.9% (95% CI, 9.6% to 12.2%). Half the patients with surgical morbidity became dependent in daily life.
You may have some bruising around the incision, but you should not have much pain. If you do have pain, your doctor may recommend or prescribe pain medicines. Your doctor will regularly check the site of your aneurysm. Some people need to have this surgery more than once.
You will probably feel very tired for several weeks after this surgery. You may also have headaches or problems concentrating for 1 to 2 weeks. It can take 4 to 8 weeks to fully recover. The incisions may be sore for about 5 days after surgery.
The clinical outcome of patients who survive an aneurysmal SAH ranges between complete independence and permanent disability. Various factors influence the prognosis of aneurysmal SAH patients. These factors can be classified into clinical factors, aneurysmal factors, and institutional factors.
This is an open surgery, which means the skull is cut and microsurgery is performed. Part of the preparation for this surgery may include shaving a section of the hair on your head. The neurosurgeon makes an incision behind the hairline or on the back of the head, depending on the location of the aneurysm.
Overall, 39 % of patients died within 10 postoperative years (mean 6.0 ± 2.8 years). Long-term survival of patients with a ruptured or symptomatic aneurysm was similar to that of patients undergoing elective aneurysm repair.
As you get up after lying down, bring your head up slowly. This can prevent headaches or dizziness. You can wash your hair 2 to 3 days after your surgery. But do not soak your head or swim for 2 to 3 weeks.
It will take 3 to 6 weeks to fully recover. If you had bleeding from your aneurysm this may take longer. You may feel tired for up to 12 or more weeks. If you had a stroke or brain injury from the bleeding, you may have permanent problems such as trouble with speech or thinking, muscle weakness, or numbness.
Since every brain injury is unique, each survivor will have a different starting point in their recovery. Some may be able to walk with a walker immediately after their injury, while others may be unable to move their legs at all.
An unruptured aneurysm might not initially have any symptoms, but that usually changes as it grows larger. The warning signs that indicate a person has developed an unruptured brain aneurysm include: Pain behind or above an eye. Double vision.
Cognitive dysfunction is a frequent complication of an aneurysm or the surgery to repair it. The aneurysm and the surgery may cause physical changes to brain tissue and can lead to diffuse cognitive deficits, including problems with attention, memory, executive functioning, and information processing.
Some patients may experience some or all of the following social-emotional changes. Most survivors experience temporary loss of control over emotions. This can manifest itself in anger, frustration, and lashing out at yourself and others. You may find that you get tearful for no reason at all.
Most people with brain aneurysms do not have close family members with this condition. But a landmark study found that 1 in 5 people with a brain aneurysm has a family history of them.
You can experience issues like muscle atrophy due to diminished physical activity during a long recovery. And you may develop anxiety or depression in response to the changes that you have gone through due to your brain aneurysm rupture and surgery.
Your doctor will let you know when it's safe for you to get back behind the wheel after brain surgery, but in general, they'll recommend that you wait at least three months before getting behind the wheel again.
For 6 weeks, it is important to avoid strenuous activity and heavy lifting. These activities will not hurt the graft in your aorta. But they may cause problems with the incision in your belly. Some people find that they feel sad or more emotional than usual while they are recovering after this surgery.