A Tool to Better Screen, Treat Aneurysm Patients

New research by an international consortium may help physicians better understand the chronological development of a brain aneurysm. Using radiocarbon dating to date samples of ruptured and unruptured cerebral aneurysm (CA) tissue, the team found that the main structural constituent and protein — collagen type I — in cerebral aneurysms is distinctly younger than once thought. The new findings, recently reported in the journal Stroke, challenge the concept that CAs are present for decades and that they undergo only sporadic episodes of structural change. In view of these findings, it seems more likely that they alternate between periods of stability and instability during which they are prone to rupture. For patients with CAs, who are more likely to undergo an aneurysm rupture due to risk factors such as smoking or hypertension, the research team found that the age of collagen type I was significantly younger than those samples taken from people with no risk factors. To learn more about the study, click here.