Awake craniotomy
Anesthesia type | |
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Airway | |
Lines and access | |
Monitors | |
Primary anesthetic considerations | |
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Intraoperative | |
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An awake craniotomy is a surgical procedure that is sometimes employed for patients undergoing tumor excision or clipping of arteriovenous malformation in regions of the brain that involve speech or motor function. Patients are typically sedated during line placement and cranial opening, and then awakened once the dura is opened. Due to the unconventional nature of the surgery, this technique is generally reserved for patients who have undergone careful preoperative selection, with considerations for temperament, overall health status, and adequate education.
The procedure can be performed using either monitored anesthesia care (MAC) or using an asleep-awake-asleep (SAS) technique. A recent meta-analysis suggests that MAC was associated with lower likelihood of failure and shorter procedure time, while SAS was associated with lower incidence of intraoperative seizure.[1] The use of non-pharmacological anxiolytic techniques (e.g. hypnosis) to achieve success with an awake-awake-awake technique has also been reported.[2]
Preoperative management
Patient consultation
Detailed consultation to psychologically prepare the patient is essential to set expectations and address questions to minimize anxiety intraoperatively[3]
- Perform prior to the day of surgery
- Should include the neuropsychology team that will be performing intraoperative testing
- Discuss non-medical modalities of intraoperative anxiety management (as feasible)
- Music, hypnosis, phone calls, etc.
The patient experience of the surgical procedure should also be discussed in detail:
- Lines and foley catheter will be placed under sedation
- May experience the feeling of a full bladder when awakened
- Patient's head will be unable to move
- Will likely feel pressure
- Pain is possible, but can be addressed
- May experience dry mouth
- Patient will be able to communicate with the OR staff at all times while awake
- Patient will be asked to perform tasks and/or answer questions throughout the procedure
Patient evaluation
System | Considerations |
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Neurologic |
Neuro exam to establish baseline function and deficits. Consider signs and symptoms of:[4]
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Cardiovascular |
Evaluate for comorbidities which may be exacerbated by intraoperative stress during the procedure (i.e. being under drapes, head clamped in Mayfield pins, surgical sounds, etc.) Increased ICP may result in Cushing's triad of HTN, bradycardia, and irregular respiratory pattern.[5] |
Respiratory |
Significant comorbidities (e.g. advanced COPD requiring supplemental oxygen or history of exacerbation, asthma with history of exacerbations requiring rescue inhaler use, etc.) should be assessed in advance to determine suitability for this procedure. |
Gastrointestinal |
Due to the lack of a protected airway and risk of aspiration, relative contraindications to this procedure include:
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Endocrine |
In patients with a history of diabetes, intraoperative glucose should be closely monitored.
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Labs and studies
- Complete blood count
- Metabolic panel
- Coagulation panel
- Type and screen
Operating room setup
- Be aware of type of table and head support to be employed to adjust anesthesia technique accordingly
Patient preparation and premedication
- For patients who are used to a morning cup of coffee, consider caffeine 200 mg PO before surgery to reduce the risk of withdrawal headache[6]
Regional and neuraxial techniques
- Scalp blocks are placed using 0.5% bupivacaine with epinephrine
Intraoperative management
Monitoring and access
- Provide sedation and anxiolysis during line placement[5]
- Midazolam 1-10 mg IV (titrated incremental doses)
- Dexmedetomidine 0.2-0.7 mcg/kg/hr
- Place lines with field blocks using buffered lidocaine for patient comfort
- Arterial line
- CVC vs PICC
- Large bore IV(s)
- Microphone for patient to communicate
- ± Precordial doppler
Induction and airway management
Positioning
Maintenance and surgical considerations
Intraoperative seizures
The incidence of intraoperative seizures varies widely, with one analysis reporting a range of 2.5-54%.[7]
Seizures can be treated using:[8]
- Cold water irrigation of the surgical field
- Low doses of propofol (30-50 mg)
There is limited evidence to support the use of levetiracetam for seizure prophylaxis.[9]
Emergence
Postoperative management
Disposition
Pain management
Potential complications
Procedure variants
Variant 1 | Variant 2 | |
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Unique considerations | ||
Position | ||
Surgical time | ||
EBL | ||
Postoperative disposition | ||
Pain management | ||
Potential complications |
References
- ↑ Natalini, Daniele; Ganau, Mario; Rosenkranz, Ruben; Petrinic, Tatjana; Fitzgibbon, Karina; Antonelli, Massimo; Prisco, Lara (2020-01-16). "Comparison of the Asleep-Awake-Asleep Technique and Monitored Anesthesia Care During Awake Craniotomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis". Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology. doi:10.1097/ANA.0000000000000675. ISSN 1537-1921. PMID 31972627.
- ↑ Zemmoura, Ilyess; Fournier, Eric; El-Hage, Wissam; Jolly, Virginie; Destrieux, Christophe; Velut, Stéphane (2016-01). "Hypnosis for Awake Surgery of Low-grade Gliomas: Description of the Method and Psychological Assessment". Neurosurgery. 78 (1): 53–61. doi:10.1227/NEU.0000000000000993. ISSN 1524-4040. PMID 26313220. Check date values in:
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(help) - ↑ Kulikov, Alexander; Lubnin, Andrey (2018-10). "Anesthesia for awake craniotomy". Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology. 31 (5): 506–510. doi:10.1097/ACO.0000000000000625. ISSN 1473-6500. PMID 29994938. Check date values in:
|date=
(help) - ↑ Buckner, JC (2007). "Central nervous system tumors". Mayo Clin Proc. 82(10): 1271–86.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jaffe, Richard A. (2014). Anesthesiologist's Manual of Surgical Procedures. New York: Wolters Kluwer. pp. 31–36. ISBN 978-1-4511-7660-5.
- ↑ Potters, Jan-Willem; Klimek, Markus (2015). "Awake craniotomy: improving the patient's experience". Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology. 28 (5): 511–516. doi:10.1097/ACO.0000000000000231. ISSN 1473-6500. PMID 26263121.
- ↑ Spena, Giannantonio; Schucht, Philippe; Seidel, Kathleen; Rutten, Geert-Jan; Freyschlag, Christian Franz; D'Agata, Federico; Costi, Emanule; Zappa, Francesca; Fontanella, Marco; Fontaine, Denys; Almairac, Fabien (2017). "Brain tumors in eloquent areas: A European multicenter survey of intraoperative mapping techniques, intraoperative seizures occurrence, and antiepileptic drug prophylaxis". Neurosurgical Review. 40 (2): 287–298. doi:10.1007/s10143-016-0771-2. ISSN 1437-2320. PMID 27481498.
- ↑ Meng, Lingzhong; McDonagh, David L.; Berger, Mitchel S.; Gelb, Adrian W. (2017). "Anesthesia for awake craniotomy: a how-to guide for the occasional practitioner". Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia = Journal Canadien D'anesthesie. 64 (5): 517–529. doi:10.1007/s12630-017-0840-1. ISSN 1496-8975. PMID 28181184.
- ↑ Pourzitaki, Chryssa; Tsaousi, Georgia; Apostolidou, Eirini; Karakoulas, Konstantinos; Kouvelas, Dimitrios; Amaniti, Ekaterini (2016). "Efficacy and safety of prophylactic levetiracetam in supratentorial brain tumour surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis". British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 82 (1): 315–325. doi:10.1111/bcp.12926. ISSN 1365-2125. PMC 4917799. PMID 26945547.