TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Catching a brain aneurysm before its too late can be mean life or death for some people.
Forty percent of people who have a ruptured brain aneurysm don't make it.
The scary thing is you may not know right away if you have one or not. Thanks to new technology at Tallahassee Memorial doctors are better able to make life-saving decisions.
2017 is a year William Golden Sr. will not forget.
"I went into the hospital complaining about headaches," Golden explained. "I thought it would have been my sinuses more than anything. One doctor decided to do a CT scan and that's how they ended up finding the aneurysm."
It took time for William to adjust to the news. The possibility of leaving behind his four children and a small business was hard for him to think about.
"I was nervous more than anything," Golden said.
After rounds of tests, doctors at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare came up with a treatment plan that involves a new type of neurological technology: 3-D printing.
"I'm very blessed. I didn't know I was one of the first ones to perform that surgery," Golden said. "I'm just blessed."
Golden's surgery was successfully completed in 2018 and now he's on the road to recovery. With the help of the new technology, Dr. Lawson hopes to see more patients turn out like Golden.
"Successful treatment really means that the aneurysm is healed and we've eliminated or greatly reduced his risk of future bleeding," said Dr. Lawson. "I'm glad we were able to treat it successfully."
Dr. Lawson says smoking and high blood pressure are two of the most common factors that can cause a brain aneurysm.
