We're happy to give a second opinion to patients who are considering brain aneurysm treatment at another hospital. We also support our own patients seeking a second opinion if that provides additional reassurance.
You may be interested in a second opinion if:
- You would like to review your images and obtain more information about your condition, its natural history, treatment benefits and risks.
- You have a complicated, large, or unusual brain aneurysm.
- Your physician suggests a treatment and you are interested in learning about other options.
- Your aneurysm needs a complicated treatment such as a stent with coil treatment and you are interested in coiling without stent, or vice versa.
In difficult cases, a second or third opinion is welcome. A second opinion can validate your physician's thinking and provide additional information to improve your proposed treatment plan. A second opinion doesn't commit you to treatment.
Getting a second opinion
At Boston Medical Center, we are happy to provide advice to patients with brain aneurysm, brain AVM seeking a second opinion. If you’d like a second opinion, please call us at 617-638-8456 for an appointment or email us at aneurysm@bmc.org. If you email, please include your email address for contacting purposes at the end of your message. We’ll do our best to assure a prompt appointment or call you at your convenience with one of our neurointerventionalists, neuroradiologists or neurosurgeons. We would ask that you bring your images and reports to your appointment.
What to ask
When getting a second opinion, consider asking these questions:
- What is your experience with brain aneurysms/ AVMS?
- How many aneurysm treatments have you performed?
- Have you reviewed the images or reports related to my case?
Diagnosis:
- Is my diagnosis confirmed?
- Would another imaging test be helpful to confirm my diagnosis?
Treatment:
- Do you agree with my treatment recommendation?
- What are other options for treatment?
- How long will recovery take after treatment?
- Are there any medications I should or should not take?
- Are there any activity restrictions?
Prognosis:
- What is the natural history of having this aneurysm?
- What is my prognosis?
Complications:
- What are the potential complications of treatment?
- What is your complication rate?
- What is the national average complication rate?
References:
- Do you have any literature I can read or refer to about my condition?
