Brain Aneurysms Explained By Dr. Christopher Kellner

Hilary Topper On Air

According to the Bee Foundation for Brain Aneurysm Awareness, an estimated 1 in every 50 people has an unruptured brain aneurysm. One of these aneurysms ruptures every 18 minutes. Ruptured brain aneurysms are fatal in about 40% of cases. Of those who survive, about 66% will suffer some permanent deficit.

Another startling statistic is there are almost 500,000 deaths worldwide each year caused by brain aneurysms, and half the victims are younger than 50. This month is Brain Aneurysm Awareness.

In this episode of Hilary Topper on Air, I interview Dr. Christopher Kellner, a fantastic neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai Health System Department of Neurosurgery. Full disclosure: Dr. Kellner was my neurosurgeon after discovering an unruptured aneurysm in the back of my head. And he did an amazing job. At my last angiogram, 95% of the aneurysm was gone. So I am truly grateful to him.

Here are some questions I asked:

• · When did you decide to go into neurosurgery?
• How do you balance the technical demands of neurosurgery with the emotional and psychological needs of your patients?
• · How do you build trust and a strong doctor-patient relationship, especially when dealing with life-altering diagnoses?
• · With many conditions like aneurysms and vascular malformations not always requiring surgery, how do you approach the decision-making process with patients and their families?
• · How do you personally handle setbacks from a patient?
• · How do you handle (juggle) the demands of your job with raising your own family?

· Dr. Kellner, back to you. Thank you and the Mount Sinai Health System Department of Neurosurgery for sponsoring The Lori Weiss Memorial Fun Run/Walk on September 14th. This is supporting The Bee Foundation.

• · How do events like the run/walk contribute to raising awareness and funding for neurosurgery research and patient care?
• · Reflecting on your journey, what has been the most rewarding aspect of your career as a neurosurgeon so far?
• · Finally, what is the one message you hope every patient takes away after working with you, regardless of their diagnosis or treatment?
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Special thanks to our show sponsors: The Russo Law Group, P.C. - Long Island's Signature Estate Planning, Elder Law and Special Needs law firm. For additional info visit vjrussolaw.com. And Buddha Bath - a natural bath and body care company. For more info visit buddhabath.net. And last but not least, I’d like to thank our listeners for tuning in.