Craniotomy is a surgical procedure where part of the skull is temporarily removed to access the brain. It can be used to treat conditions like tumors, blood clots, epilepsy, brain injuries, and strokes. The surgical procedure involves making an incision in the scalp, lifting the skin and muscles, cutting and removing part of the skull (bone flap), performing surgery on the brain, then replacing the bone flap and closing the incision. Risks include infection, hemorrhage, seizures, and brain swelling while benefits are being cured of the underlying issue. Outcomes depend on the condition being treated but complications can include infections, blood clots, and in rare cases death.

1. Craniotomy
By Mae Krasniewicz

2. Background
• Prehistoric
• Paul Broca
• Name changes
depending on the area
of the brain

3. Background
• Craniectomy
• Burr hole
• Retro-sigmold
“Keyhole” Craniotomy
• Supra-orbital
“Eyebrow” Craniotomy

4. Background
Types of conditions addressed by this procedure:
• Tumors
• Blood clots
• Epilepsy
• Nerve Damage
• Brain Injury
• Stroke

5. Anatomical & Physiological Considerations
• Focuses on the brain
and cranium
• Affects nervous
system
• Addresses alertness,
thought processing,
involuntary movements,
etc.

6. Demographics
• No specific age range
• Occurs more in adults
• More commonly found in men than woman

7. Affect on the Body & Mind
• Functional changes depend on what part of
the brain is being performed on
• Recovery time is
1-4 weeks
• Daily life
hopefully gets
easier

8. Affect on the Body & Mind
Risks:
• Infection
• Hemorrhage
• Seizures
• Brain swelling
Benefits:
• Being cured of the issue
• Less discomfort

9. Outcomes of the procedure
• Cured the tumor/disease
• Although it doesn’t happen often, craniotomy could
be fatal
• Complications can occur like infections and blood
clots

10. Surgical Procedure
Popular conditions craniotomy attempts to fix:
• Brain Tumors
• Aneurysms
• Epilepsy

11. Surgical Procedure
• Before craniotomy, surgeries performed on the skull
were done through drilling holes into the skull
4 main approaches:
• Drilling
• Sawing
• Scraping
• Grooving

12. Surgical Procedure
• General anesthesia
is administered to
the patient
• An incision is made,
usually behind the
hairline

13. Surgical Procedure
• The skin and
muscles are lifted
off of the bone and
pinned back
• Cut and removes
the bone flap so
that the dura is
revealed

14. Surgical Procedure
• Use of very
small tools to
get deep in
the brain to
remove
abnormal
tissue
• Dura is then folded to expose the brain

15. Surgical Procedure
• Dura is closed with
sutures
• Bone flap is placed
back and secured
with screws and
plates
• Bandage the scar

16. Surgical Procedure
• 40,000 – 150,000$
• Requires more time
in the hospital to
recover

17. Surgical Procedure
• Awake
craniotomy and
Brain Mapping
• Better outcomes
• Allows
communication
between doctor
and patient

18. Conclusion
• One of the most interesting things that I learned is
how many different Craniotomies there are
• The most important resources I used was Hopkins
Medicine and Mayfield Clinic

19. Conclusion
• I’m still wondering about the mortality rate
of all the different craniotomies
• I think everyone should learn about how
common brain surgeries are

20. Bibliography
• "ABC: A History of Craniotomy." Phisick. Phisick, 14 Nov. 2011. Web. 1 May 2015.
• "Ancient Skulls Ancient Skills." Phisick. Phisick, 9 Nov. 2011. Web. 1 May 2015.
• “Awake Craniotomy.” Barnes Jewish. Barnes-Jewish Hospital, n.d. Web 1 May 2015.
• "Brain Surgery." Healthline. Healthline Networks Inc, n.d. Web. 1 May 2015.
• "Brain Surgery Cost." CostHelper. CostHelper, n.d. Web. 1 May 2015.
• "Craniectomy." Rochester. University of Rochester Medical Center, n.d. Web. 1 May 2015.
• "Craniotomy." Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch. 20 May. 2005. 24 Jul. 2009
• "Craniotomy." MDGuidlines. Reed Group, n.d. Web. 1 May 2015.
• "Craniotomy by Karam Chand Method." Neurosurgic. Neurosurgic, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 1 May 2015.
• "Craniotomy Techniques." Phisick. Phisick, 9 Nov. 2011. Web. 1 May 2015.
• "Craniotomy Through the Ages." NCBI. National Center for Biotechnology Information, June 2007.
Web. 1 May 2015.
• "Demographics." Surgery. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.
• Warnick, Ron, MD, ed. "Craniotomy." Mayfield Clinic. Mayfield Clinic, n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.
• "What is Craniotomy?" Hopkins Medicine. Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns
Hopkins Health System, n.d. Web. 1 May 2015.