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In those cases of unruptured aneurysms, the diagnosis is usually made through CT, computed tomography scan, or an MRI. There are special forms of CT and MRI. CTA and MRA, which focus specifically on the blood vessels. And that’s how most aneurysms come to be discovered these days. The spatial resolution on these tests is not quite as good as a diagnostic cerebral angiogram. Sometimes you’ll hear a digital subtraction angiogram or catheter angiogram, which is kind of the gold standard for the diagnosis and characterization of aneurysms. So what typically happens for a patient is that a CTA or an MRA will be performed, it’ll show an aneurysm, and then that patient should be referred to a cerebrovascular neurosurgeon. When preparing for a visit with a neurosurgeon about an aneurysm, it’s important that you make sure that you have the images themselves to bring to the doctor. Without those images, it’s impossible to really talk about the aneurysm and what your options are.
