Anesthetic Considerations for Awake Craniotomy for Epilepsy

A variety of anesthetic methods, with and without airway manipulation, are available to facilitate awake intraoperative examinations and cortical stimulation, which allow more aggressive resection of epileptogenic foci in functionally important brain regions. Careful patient selection and preparation combined with attentive cooperation of the medical team are the foundation for a smooth awake procedure. With improved pharmacologic agents and variety of techniques at the neuroanesthesiologist's disposal, awake craniotomy has become an elegant approach to epileptic focus resection in functional cortex.