Brain surgery

Alternative Names: Craniotomy; Surgery - brain; Neurosurgery; Craniectomy; Stereotactic craniotomy; Stereotactic brain biopsy; Endoscopic craniotomy

Brain surgery is a procedure to treat problems in the brain and the surrounding structures.

Description of Procedure

Before surgery, the hair on part of the scalp is shaved, and the area is cleaned. The doctor makes a surgical cut through the scalp. The location of this cut depends on where the problem in the brain is located.

The surgeon creates a hole in the skull and removes a piece, called a bone flap.

If possible, the surgeon will make a smaller hole and insert a tube with a light and camera on the end. This is called an endoscope. The surgery will be done with tools placed through the endoscope. MRI or CT can help guide the doctor to the proper place in the brain.

During surgery, your surgeon may:

• Clip off an aneurysm to prevent blood flow
• Remove a tumor or a piece of tumor for a biopsy
• Remove abnormal brain tissue
• Drain blood or an infection

The bone flap is usually replaced after surgery, using small metal plates, sutures, or wires. The bone flap may not be put back if your surgery involved a tumor or an infection, or if the brain was swollen. (This is called a craniectomy.)

The time it takes for the surgery depends on the problem being treated.

Risks of Brain surgery

Risks for any anesthesia are:

• Reactions to medications
• Problems breathing

Possible risks of brain surgery are:

• Surgery on any one area may cause problems with speech, memory, muscle weakness, balance, vision, coordination, and other functions. These problems may last a short while or they may not go away.
• Blood clot or bleeding in the brain
• Seizures
• Stroke
• Coma
• Infection in the brain, in the wound, or in the skull
• Brain swelling

Before and after hematoma repair	Craniotomy - series

Review Date: 2/9/2011
Reviewed By: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and Department of Anatomy at UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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