Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) Practice Exam

What diagnostic procedure is considered the gold standard for confirming an aneurysm?

1. Computerized tomography angiography (CTA)

2. Cerebral angiography

3. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

4. Ultrasound

The correct answer is: Cerebral angiography

The gold standard for confirming an aneurysm is cerebral angiography. This procedure involves injecting a contrast dye into the bloodstream and using X-rays to visualize blood vessels. Cerebral angiography provides detailed images of the vascular structures of the brain, allowing for an accurate assessment of aneurysms, including their size, shape, and location. This specificity and clarity make it the preferred diagnostic method when making definitive diagnoses in patients suspected of having an aneurysm. Although other imaging modalities like computerized tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can suggest the presence of an aneurysm and are useful as non-invasive alternatives, they do not offer the same level of detail or accuracy in direct visualization of the blood vessels as cerebral angiography does. Ultrasound is typically used for some vascular assessments but is not generally reliable for detecting intracranial aneurysms. Hence, cerebral angiography remains the most definitive diagnostic tool for confirming an aneurysm.