This week, the Annals of Internal Medicine published this systematic review , where the authors concluded that small aneurysms (7mm or less) have low annualized risk of rupture, despite reviewing a collection of poor quality data for the analysis.
It’s studies like this, based on poor quality data, that propagate false conclusions for the public and general medical community that small brain aneurysms do not need to be treated because they have low risk of rupture or growth.
Small aneurysms do in fact rupture.
The average size of a ruptured aneurysm is 4.5mm.
If only large aneurysms (i.e. 10mm or greater) rupture, this average is mathematically impossible.
Below are images of small aneurysms that have all previously ruptured and caused life threatening hemorrhage — forever changing a patient and his/her family’s life in a split second. All the more reason to find a brain aneurysm specialist that takes care of these patients on a daily basis, who can share accurate information about risks vs benefit of treatment.
Dr. Li-Mei Lin 