Awake Brain Tumor Surgery Offers Advantages to Patients

Egepol Hospitals Brain and Nerve Surgery Specialist Op. Dr. Seyhan Orak said that awake brain tumor surgery (Craniotomy) offers advantages to patients by protecting important centers in the brain.

Op. Dr. Orak stated that awake craniotomy is a surgical method in which the patient is conscious and awake during brain tumor surgery, and that the tumor can be removed more safely in this way.

Op. Dr. Seyhan Orak said, “The craniotomy method allows surgeons to continuously monitor the patient’s speech, movement and sensory functions, especially in cases where tumors are close to sensitive brain areas. In this way, vital brain functions are preserved and the tumor is safely removed.”

Brain and Nerve Surgery Specialist Op. Dr. Seyhan Orak provided the following information about the method: “It is successfully applied in benign and malignant brain tumors, vascular lesions of the brain, and in the surgery of lesions located in priority areas of the brain. The awake craniotomy method is a surgical procedure with advantages. First of all, the patient does not receive general anesthesia; therefore, they do not have to go through an intensive care process. This method also accelerates the recovery period and return to social life. Secondly and most importantly, while removing lesions in specific areas of the patient, we can complete the surgery without causing any damage to these centers. These centers can be the visual field, speech or the motor center that provides body movements. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, which is a light sleep called sedation. The experience of the anesthesia team is also a factor that facilitates surgical intervention. While the patient is under local anesthesia, if the lesion is close to the speech center, we make the patient talk, if the lesion is close to the motor center, we ask the patient to make arm and leg movements. In this way, we protect brain functions by controlling body functions. We complete the operation with minimum damage.”