Jim Torner, CPH professor and head of epidemiology, is a member of the writing group that recently issued “Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: A Guideline for Healthcare Professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.” The aim of this updated statement is to provide comprehensive and evidence-based recommendations for management of patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

In a commentary on the new guidelines, Ketan R. Bulsara, MD, wrote: “The potential devastation caused by the rupture of an intracranial aneurysm has reinforced the fact that the status quo is not good enough, and continual advances need to be made to optimize patient care.  These guidelines are a valuable contribution, because like the ones that have preceded them, they document our rapid advances regarding management of unruptured intracranial aneurysms and provide meaningful recommendations based on the best available literature.

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of these guidelines is that they highlight the fact that we are entering an era where increasingly, the care of patients can be tailored to their individual pathology.  The era of patient precise treatment for intracranial aneurysms is not here yet, but we are making strides toward it.  Microsurgical clip ligation and endovascular treatment are no longer viewed as competing treatment options, but rather consideration is given to what is optimal for a particular patient and the morphology of the aneurysm.”