After Salman Khan’s Revelation Of Brain Aneurysms: Expert On Early Detection

Actor Salman Khan recently opened up about his struggle with AV malformation and a brain aneurysm. In this article, a neurologist explains its causes and early detection. 

What is an aneurysm?

An aneurysm is a small blood-filled balloon. It develops because of the weakness of the blood vessel wall. An AVM (Arterio-Venous Malformation) is a bunch of tangled vessels, like a tangled ball of wool thread. If any of these conditions affect the pain nerves of the face, you can get severe, electric shock-like pain. This can happen throughout the day. We call this trigeminal neuralgia.

These neurological conditions can also cause complications. AVMs and aneurysms can burst, leaking blood into the brain. This can be life-threatening. AVMs can also produce seizures. Trigeminal neuralgia is very painful. Because of this, people can become anxious and depressed.

Detection is key

Thankfully, if detected in time, we can cure all these neurological conditions. We need to know the warning symptoms. The first sign of an aneurysm can be a severe headache. Do not neglect your headaches. Almost all people with headaches should have a brain scan at least once in their lives.

Seizures can be small or big. In smaller seizures, the person may blank out for 1-2 minutes. In larger seizures, also called mirgi in Hindi, there may be violent shaking of the body. AVMs can also produce weakness in one part of the body. The patient may be unable to lift one arm or leg.

Trigeminal neuralgia causes pain on one side of the face. The pain may occur in the upper face, middle face, or lower face, depending on which branch of the nerve is involved. There are many modes of treatment available.

How is it treated?

We can close aneurysms with tiny clippers, like the ones you use for hanging clothes. We can also put small coils inside them, so that they clot off. The exact treatment we use depends on the location, size, and shape of the aneurysm.

We can close AVMs by injecting cyanoacrylate (super-glue) inside them! Sometimes, we give targeted radiation to the AVMs so that they shrink in size. Rarely, we may need to do open surgery to remove them completely.

Medications reduce the pain of trigeminal neuralgia. Some patients might not need medications if we fix the main issue causing nerve compression. To avoid AVMs and aneurysms, do two things. Quit smoking and manage your blood pressure. Both of these things can cause aneurysms to form and increase the risk of rupture.

Many neurological conditions now have complete treatment. We now have treatments like Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and epilepsy surgery, even for neurological diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. Neurological treatments have dramatically improved.

It is critical to detect these problems in time. Do not neglect problems such as severe headaches, blacking out, or weakness in one part of the body. Prompt treatment can be life-saving.

Authored by Dr Siddharth Kharkar, Consultant Neurology, KIMS Hospitals, Thane