A 9-year-old boy in Hunan has "grapes" growing in his head! This disease is very exciting

Severe headache, high fever, aphasia, hemiplegia, coma... Xiaolong (pseudonym), a 9-year-old boy from Xiangxi, finally recovered after experiencing a life-and-death test in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine (Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine) and was successfully discharged today.

This morning, medical staff took a photo with Xiaolong and his mother. All photos provided by the hospital

"Intracranial aneurysms are not limited to adults. For people with high-risk factors, non-invasive vascular imaging screening such as brain MRI and CT angiography is recommended to detect lesions before aneurysms rupture and provide appropriate treatment." Wen Daihua, director of the hospital's neurosurgery department and deputy chief physician, said. "Once an intracranial aneurysm ruptures and bleeds, the mortality and disability rates are extremely high. Risk factors should be controlled to reduce the risk of aneurysm rupture."

Xiaolong has suffered from polycystic kidney disease and secondary hypertension since childhood. This time, the rupture of the intracranial aneurysm caused a large area of ​​cerebral infarction and induced systemic infection, which was a major test for the child. Recently, the neurosurgery team of the hospital successfully performed a craniotomy and aneurysm clipping operation on Xiaolong. Xiaolong successfully passed the perioperative critical period and was discharged from the hospital after many hardships to welcome the arrival of the new semester.

On July 11, Xiaolong suddenly developed severe headache and vomiting while riding a bicycle with his friends near his home. He went to the local hospital for examination, which showed multiple intracranial hemorrhage. After going to several hospitals for treatment without success, his anxious parents sent him to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine (Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine) for treatment on July 25.

On the first day of hospitalization, Xiaolong's condition worsened rapidly. He developed symptoms such as high fever, aphasia, paralysis of the right limbs, and coma. An MRI of Xiaolong's head showed a large area of ​​cerebral infarction in the left side of his brain, and the child's life was in danger.

Under the guidance of Associate Professor Wen Daihua, Director of Neurosurgery, Dr. Cheng Xuerong immediately performed a series of treatment measures on Xiaolong, including sedation, analgesia, hibernation and cooling, prevention and treatment of cerebral vasospasm, lumbar puncture, cerebrospinal fluid replacement, and protection of brain function, to stabilize Xiaolong's condition. After more than ten days of treatment, Xiaolong could speak and move his right hands and feet. Unexpectedly, just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Xiaolong developed symptoms such as high fever, chills, and vomiting.

The hospital's critical care team worked overnight to find the cause of the change in his condition, identified lung and urinary tract infections, and sepsis, and promptly changed the treatment plan, ultimately completely controlling Xiaolong's condition. Finally, through cerebral angiography, they finally found the culprit of Xiaolong's intracranial hemorrhage - multiple intracranial aneurysms.

Director Wen Daihua (second from left) and Dr. Cheng Xuerong (first from right) went to the ward to perform postoperative examinations on the patients.

After concentrated analysis and discussion by the neurosurgery team and multiple departments, on August 18, with the close cooperation of the neurosurgery department, anesthesiology department, and critical care department, Xiaolong successfully underwent craniotomy microsurgery, clamped the necks of the two aneurysms, and achieved the purpose of eliminating rupture. Xiaolong recovered well after the operation, and a long-lost smile appeared on his innocent little face.

"Intracranial aneurysms are hemangiomas formed by abnormal bulging of arteries inside the brain, just like one or more grapes growing on a blood vessel, filled with blood. There is currently no way to prevent it." Wen Daihua introduced that hypertension, cerebral arteriosclerosis, vasculitis, etc. are important factors that lead to aneurysm rupture. In addition, emotional excitement, late pregnancy, physical labor and sexual life can also be predisposing factors for aneurysm rupture. "In more cases, aneurysm rupture and bleeding occur suddenly without obvious inducements, and its typical symptoms include mild to severe headaches, limb movement and sensory disorders, and unconsciousness," Wen Daihua said. Conventional surgery or interventional treatment can be selected according to the patient's specific condition.