A brain aneurysm is also called a cerebral aneurysm or an intracranial aneurysm and refers to the same diagnosis. Muscular-walled tubes blood vessels called arteries are part of our circulation system. These tubes are how blood is conveyed from the heart to the brain, carrying oxygen and nutrients to support the brain and its functions. A diagnosis of a brain aneurysm means that a bulging, weak area exists in the wall of one of the arteries that supplies blood to the brain.

Sandra Narayanan, MD, FAHA, FANA, FSVIN, FAAN, is board-certified in neurology and vascular neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and CAST (Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training)-certified in neuroendovascular surgery. She is a vascular neurologist and neurointerventional surgeon at Pacific Stroke & Neurovascular Center, Pacific Neuroscience Institute. She is director of the neurointerventional program and co-director of the stroke program at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.