World-Class Neurosurgery and Neurointerventional Surgery Team Offers Brain Aneurysms t can begin with a headache different from the usual headache, numbness or weakness on one side of the face, pain above and behind an eye, or perhaps even a dilated pupil and blurry vision. For others, the first sign that something may be wrong could be a sudden, excruciating headache that many have described as the worst of their lives. In most cases, however, brain aneurysms—also known as intracranial or intracerebral aneurysms— go unnoticed until they rupture or are detected by brain imaging (such as CTA or MRA) scheduled for unrelenting headaches, after the usual causes like sinus headaches and migraines have been ruled out. An estimated one in 50 people in the United States have an unruptured brain aneurysm, according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. As many as eight out of 10 brain aneurysms never rupture, but when they do, the results can be devastating. Approximately 40 percent of ruptured aneurysms result in fatalities within the first 24 hours, while up to an additional 25 percent of these patients die from complications within six months, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders By Beth-Ann Kerber • Photos by John Emerson Advanced Treatment of and Stroke. Two-thirds of individuals who survive have some type of permanent neurological deficit. The potentially life-threatening consequences of a rupture make it critical to identify and treat brain aneurysms. Since the treatment can be quite complicated, a world-class, multidisciplinary team is required to manage this complex neurological condition, according to Gaurav Gupta, MD, assistant professor of surgery and neurosurgery; director, cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery; and director, New Jersey Brain Aneurysm & AVM Program at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH). Robert Wood Johnson I MEDICINE 23