Original ArticleAwake Craniotomy: First-Year Experiences and Patient Perception

BackgroundAwake craniotomy for brain lesions in or near eloquent brain regions enables neurosurgeons to assess neurologic functions of patients intraoperatively, reducing the risk of permanent neurologic deficits and increasing the extent of resection.MethodsA retrospective review was performed of a consecutive series of patients with awake craniotomies in the first year of their introduction to our tertiary non-university-affiliated neurosurgery department. Operation time, complications, and neurologic outcome were assessed, and patient perception of awake craniotomy was surveyed using a mailed questionnaire.ResultsThere were 24 awake craniotomies performed in 22 patients for low-grade/high-grade gliomas, cavernomas, and metastases (average 2 cases per month). Mean operation time was 205 minutes. Failure of awake craniotomy because of intraoperative seizures with subsequent postictal impaired testing or limited cooperation occurred in 2 patients. Transient neurologic deficits occurred in 29% of patients; 1 patient sustained a permanent neurologic deficit. Of the 18 patients (82%) who returned the questionnaire, only 2 patients recalled significant fear during surgery.ConclusionsIntroducing awake craniotomy to a tertiary non-university-affiliated neurosurgery department is feasible and resulted in reasonable operation times and complication rates and high patient satisfaction.