When you have a life-threatening and complex condition like an unruptured brain aneurysm, you want the greatest level of experience and expertise in treating it.

Sometimes the right treatment is available in your own area. In other cases, you may wish to seek out doctors and hospitals that have specialized expertise in neurovascular treatment, like the National Brain Aneurysm Center.

If your situation is not an emergency, you have time to research your options and decide on your best course of action. Remember, you have the right to ask your doctor questions and to get a second opinion before you proceed with treatment. No surgery is risk-free, so you want to make sure you thoroughly understand the treatment your doctor is recommending and his or her expertise in performing it.

Before you have surgery, here are some questions that you may want to discuss with your doctor or surgeon.

• Is the surgery really necessary? Is there some other way to treat my condition?
• How often does this type of surgery help my kind of problem? How much does it help?
• Where will the surgery be performed?
• How much experience does the surgeon have with this procedure?
• How much experience does the hospital have with this procedure?
• What complications or side effects might I have?
• What is the hospital's experience in intensive care for neurological conditions?

Getting a second opinion

A second opinion is when another doctor gives his or her judgment about your diagnosis and recommended treatment. Your doctor or surgeon should not object if you want to get a second opinion. For some types of surgery, your health insurer may require one. You may need to check to see if your health plan will cover second opinions.

We are available for diagnosis and treatment of neurovascular conditions, including brain aneurysms, vascular malformations (AVMs) and tumors.

For information on how to contact the National Brain Aneurysm Center to receive a second opinion, visit our contact page.