Sometimes the craniotomy can be done with the patient awake, not under general anaesthesia. Watch Dr Nigel, Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai explain what awake craniotomy is.

Most of the time, craniotomies are done under general anaesthesia but there are some instances where it is better to have the patient awake so that all functions such as speech and limb strength can be checked during the surgery.

When is the patient advised to have an awake craniotomy?

Usually, when the tumours are situated in eloquent areas like the motor cortex or the speech area, it is better to have the patient awake so that these functions can be checked when the tumour is being removed. Another area where craniotomy is performed is for epilepsy surgery. In this, when the eloquent areas are dissected, disconnected, it is better to have the patient awake during this surgery. That is called an awake craniotomy.