Awake craniotomy is brain surgery during which the patient is allowed to awaken from anesthesia with the brain exposed in order to test the brain function and identify eloquent areas. Careful titration of anesthesia is used along with electrical stimulation of the brain and neurologic examination. For examle, speech or motor areas of the brain may be actively tested during a brain surgery to remove a tumor when the tumor is in close proximity to such eloquent brain function. While this is rarely required and may sound scary, patients selected for this procedure generally tolerate it very well and have little recollection of the procedure. We are one of the only few centers that possess the necessary technology and the neurosurgical and anesthesia expertise for awake craniotomy.
Many brain procedures are performed by our neurosurgeons using only minimal anesthesia for sedation. For example, simple drainage procedures and brain biopsies often utilize such minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Jeffrey Florman from our neurosurgical team along with Dr. Ted Rintel from anesthesia at MMC have become comfortable with more aggressive awake brain surgeries including deep brain stimulation for tremor. In 2006, they developed a protocol to perform awake surgery with large areas of the brain exposed and obtained specialized electrical brain stimulation equipment to assist in testing the brain.
The neurosurgical team performed their first such awake craniotomy in July of 2006, and they have had tremendous success with a number of subsequent procedures.
----------------------------About Neurosurgery & Spine
For over thirty years, Neurosurgery & Spine has had the privilege of providing neurosurgical services and spine care to the people of Maine and Northern New England. Our practice has grown over the years to meet the needs of our patients. Now proud to be a part of Maine Medical Partners, we join a more extensive team of 130 physicians and 650 staff, over a wide range of primary, specialty and subspecialty care delivered through a network of more than 27 sites in and near Greater Portland.
Our close affiliation with Maine Medical Center, the State’s largest tertiary care center, supports an invaluable mix of patient-centered care and high technology medicine.
Media Contact: Sarah Dickson, Practice Communications Manager, 1.207.885.4479.
“I feel extremely fortunate to be part of a truly remarkable team committed to excellence and personalized patient care.”
Corey Fravert, Practice Administrator