What I Learned from Grey’s Anatomy — Cerebral Aneurysm

Katie Bryce was Meredith Grey’s first ever patient and the first case Dr. Grey and Dr. Shepherd worked on together. Though the doctors were clueless about her case at first, she was eventually diagnosed with an aneurysm.

What is an Aneurysm?

An aneurysm is when an arterial wall is weakened, which causes a bulge in the artery. This is normally not an issue, unless it ruptures and causes internal bleeding. It can be anywhere in the body, from the brain, to the abdomen, to the heart. In Katie Bryce’s case, her aneurysm burst when she fell during rhythmic gymnastics causing her to bleed into her brain. Specifically, she had a subarachnoid hemorrhage which is when the bleeding is between the brain and the surrounding membrane.

Risk factors for an aneurysm include high blood pressure, smoking and excessive alcohol. There is also a strong, genetic component.

Clinical Presentation

Unruptured aneurysms are asymptomatic and are not normally diagnosable based on clinical history, though some may be discovered incidentally. However, when it has ruptured, patients will present with a severe headache (often referred to as a thunderclap headache). The headache may feel more severe on one side. Some patients will even get a “sentinel headache” a week before…