Rupture: A Matter of Life OR Death Page #2

the results are often catastrophic.

Sudden death in about one third of cases,

death within a month for another third,

and severe disability for many of the third who survive.

Aneurysms occur on the blood vessels on the surface of the brain,

so they aren't actually within the brain substance.

In contrast to other sorts of vascular problems like

arteriovenous malformations which exist in the brain.

The risk of having a stroke,

including subarachnoid haemorrhage, increases dramatically with age.

Nine out of ten people affected are over the age of 55,

but anyone of any age can fall victim.

Goang-Jong Shu was scarcely out of her teens.

I graduated sophomore year with flying colours.

I had the highest grade in my classes.

And I was really involved

in Key Club and community services.

And so, you know, I got my permit, my driving permit,

so I was on the top of the hill, and then this happened, so...

You know, my first reaction was, you know, "Why me?"

You know, "Why did this happen?" I was doing fine.

My wife and I have come to a conclusion that it must be

she got too...

..too much pressure from herself.

She was just striving for everything to be perfect.

So the aneurysm in the brain kept growing from one head,

and it kept growing into the three heads,

so it doesn't matter what time it ruptured.

And once it ruptured,

then the result is either...

either...

she will be dying or go in a coma.

- Become a vegetarian. - A

vegetable. - Vegetable. - Vegetable.

LAUGHS:
Vegetarian!

The artery from which the aneurysm arises is so damaged by the aneurysm

that is has to be completely blocked off.

The problem with that is that it deprives the brain downstream of circulation,

and so in order to protect the brain from a stroke while completely closing off the aneurysm,

one has to do a bypass.

- A 16-hour surgery.

- Yeah.

Personally, I cannot imagine...

a doctor can perform a surgery for 16 hours.

The surface of the brain is here.

We have to open the cleft between two of the brain lobes

and identify this blood vessel.

This will be the area where the bypass is performed.

Now, the clock is ticking when you close off the artery.

You can't close off the brain artery indefinitely,

so we have to work quickly and finish that closure within half an hour,

or the brain is exposed to a period of time

without adequate circulation and a stroke might occur.

The good thing is that children are very resilient.

Their brains are very resilient.

If you can close off the weakness, if you can do a bypass if necessary

to preserve the circulation, their recovery is often fantastic.

And so, for example, if you wanted to pick the glass of water to drink,

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