“Can venous aneurysm cause headache?”
I am a 47 year old man in a good health condition. I have been recently detected with a 8 x 12 mm sac type aneurysm on the vein of Galen. The diagnosis was done after I was suffering from severe headache and nausea for the last five months. What is the connection between the two and can these headaches be controlled with medication?
5 Answers
First of all, vein of Galen aneurysms are low pressure sacs which is probably not causing your headaches. I would reccomend a complete physical exam to look for medical causes before anything else.
It is difficult to say without seeing your scan. The abnormalities seen could be a result of something else associated with it that may cause headache. It would be best to see a neurosurgeon who specializes in neuro-vascular surgery at a stroke center.
It depends on whether this aneurysm is causing any impedement to CSF flow at the aqueduct of Sylvius level and whether it's causing any hydrocephalus. If so, then yes, it can give you headaches; if not, then it's unlikely, but it seems big and the question is whether it's causing any hemodynamics changes causing veonous outflow obstruction or delay leading to venous congestion and headaches, but can't ascertain that without seeing the Anglo, but how is your blood pressure? Is it normal? And do you have any nasal congestion, e.g., due to allergies? All these simple possibilities may be overlooked. Anyhow, best ask your neurosurgeon if the aneurysm is causing any issues mentioned above.
Your question is difficult to answer without actually seeing the study which showed the aneurysm. Your question doesn't say what study (MRI, angiogram, CT scan) was used and what it found. The best answer to give you is to have a meeting with the neurologist/neurosurgeon who obtained the test and to review what it found. This may be a completely innocuous finding, or it may be indicative of a more serious vascular malformation for which treatment might be recommended. It's not possible to give a complete answer without reviewing your history, physical exam and the imaging studies which showed the finding.
Jacob Januszewski
Neurosurgeon
Vein of Galen malformations generally cause problems in infancy. It may cause headaches for you now, however, if they can be controlled with medications then this would be preferable over surgical treatment. You need to have routine annual follow-up, however, to ensure this aneurysm is not growing with time as it may need treatment down the road if it does.
