Experiences of being diagnosed with unruptured intracranial aneurysm in a population-based health survey: A qualitative interview study.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Hansine Hansens veg 18, Tromsø, 9019, Norway.
- 2Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of North Norway, Hansine Hansens veg 67, Tromsø, 9019, Norway.
- 3Department of Community Medicine, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Hansine Hansens veg 18, Tromsø, 9019, Norway.
- 4Department of People and Technology, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark.
Abstract
Introduction
Most unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) are small and carry a low rupture risk. Many patients are therefore not treated with occlusion but managed conservatively. Evidence on the psychological impact of living with an untreated UIA is limited and conflicting.Research question
To explore experiences of receiving a diagnosis of a UIA and having to live with it over time.Material and methods
The Tromsø7 health survey examined 1862 participants with magnetic resonance angiography and 85 diagnosed with conservatively managed UIAs were eligible for inclusion. We invited 24 based on purposive maximum-variation sampling according to age, sex, and aneurysm size, and 18 consented. Twelve participated in semi-structured interviews before data saturation was achieved. We excluded two because the interviews revealed exclusion criteria (cognitive impairment and treated aneurysm). Data from 10 interviews conducted median eight years after diagnosis were included in a thematic analysis.Results
In retrospective narratives, many participants recalled experiencing serious worry or fear shortly after the diagnosis. Most described a subsequent process of adaption to the uncertainty through trust in clinicians, resilience, normalization and meaning-making, which enabled them to reestablish normality in everyday life. Concerns could resurface around follow-ups. Few described persistent anxiety at the time of the interview. The diagnosis motivated healthy lifestyle changes for many.Discussion and conclusion
The interviews revealed substantial psychosocial impacts of having to live with untreated UIAs. We suggest these insights could inform decision-making in contexts where clinicians and patients must balance the potential benefits and burdens of imaging and surveillance.
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BibTeX
@article{iversen2026experiences,
title = {{Experiences of being diagnosed with unruptured intracranial aneurysm in a population-based health survey: A qualitative interview study.}},
author = {Mathilde Vea Iversen and Ingvild Mathiesen Rosenlund and Jørgen Gjernes Isaksen and Alexandra Brandt Ryborg Jønsson and Tor Ingebrigtsen},
journal = {Brain \& spine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.bas.2026.107469},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899175},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Experiences of being diagnosed with unruptured intracranial aneurysm in a population-based health survey: A qualitative interview study.
AU - Mathilde Vea Iversen
AU - Ingvild Mathiesen Rosenlund
AU - Jørgen Gjernes Isaksen
AU - Alexandra Brandt Ryborg Jønsson
AU - Tor Ingebrigtsen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - Brain & spine
DO - 10.1016/j.bas.2026.107469
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899175
AB - Introduction Most unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) are small and carry a low rupture risk. Many patients are therefore not treated with occlusion but managed conservatively. Evidence on the psychological impact of living with an untreated UIA is limited and conflicting.Research question To explore experiences of receiving a diagnosis of a UIA and having to live with it over time.Material and methods The Tromsø7 health survey examined 1862 participants with magnetic resonance angiography and 85 diagnosed with conservatively managed UIAs were eligible for inclusion. We invited 24 based on purposive maximum-variation sampling according to age, sex, and aneurysm size, and 18 consented. Twelve participated in semi-structured interviews before data saturation was achieved. We excluded two because the interviews revealed exclusion criteria (cognitive impairment and treated aneurysm). Data from 10 interviews conducted median eight years after diagnosis were included in a thematic analysis.Results In retrospective narratives, many participants recalled experiencing serious worry or fear shortly after the diagnosis. Most described a subsequent process of adaption to the uncertainty through trust in clinicians, resilience, normalization and meaning-making, which enabled them to reestablish normality in everyday life. Concerns could resurface around follow-ups. Few described persistent anxiety at the time of the interview. The diagnosis motivated healthy lifestyle changes for many.Discussion and conclusion The interviews revealed substantial psychosocial impacts of having to live with untreated UIAs. We suggest these insights could inform decision-making in contexts where clinicians and patients must balance the potential benefits and burdens of imaging and surveillance.
SN - 2772-5294
ER -