Saccular (Berry) Aneurysm

A Saccular (Berry) Aneurysm is a small, balloon-like bulge that forms in the walls of arteries in the brain. It mainly affects the blood vessels supplying the brain and can cause serious health problems if it bursts. This condition often develops at branching points of arteries where the vessel wall is weaker. The bulge can grow silently without symptoms until it ruptures, leading to a brain hemorrhage. When a rupture occurs, it causes a sudden, severe headache and can result in stroke, brain damage, or death. Early detection is difficult because most aneurysms do not cause symptoms until they become large or rupture. The main health risk is the potential for life-threatening bleeding inside the brain.

Saccular (Berry) Aneurysm is a focal, saccular outpouching of a cerebral artery, typically occurring at arterial branch points in the circle of Willis. It results from a localized defect in the tunica media and internal elastic lamina, leading to vessel wall weakness. The pathogenesis often involves congenital defects in the arterial wall or acquired factors such as hypertension and smoking that increase hemodynamic stress. These aneurysms are the most common cause of nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. Clinically, rupture leads to sudden onset of a severe headache, often described as the worst headache of life, along with meningeal irritation and neurological deficits. Unruptured aneurysms may be asymptomatic or cause symptoms by mass effect on adjacent neural structures. Diagnosis and management are critical due to the high morbidity and mortality associated with rupture.