Awake craniotomy for a cavernous angioma in the Broca's area

Neurosurg Focus. 2018 Oct;45(VideoSuppl2):V4. doi: 10.3171/2018.10.FocusVid.18240.

Abstract

Cavernous angiomas constitute 5%-10% of cerebrovascular malformations and may cause seizure and neurological deficits from bleeding. 4 The authors present a case of a 44-year-old man with a 3.5-year history of epilepsy without complete seizure control despite anticonvulsants. Brain MRI showed a 2.8 cm cavernous angioma at the left pars opercularis, also known as the Broca's area. 3 The patient underwent an awake craniotomy for intraoperative cortical-subcortical language and sensory-motor mapping for a complete resection of the cavernous angioma and the hemosiderin rim. 1-6 The procedure was uneventful, and the patient evolved seizure free and with no deficits. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/QajbLIsr_vg .

Keywords: Broca’s area; awake craniotomy; brain mapping; cavernous angioma; eloquent area.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Brain Neoplasms / complications
  • Brain Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Brain Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Broca Area / diagnostic imaging
  • Broca Area / surgery*
  • Craniotomy / methods*
  • Drug Resistant Epilepsy / diagnostic imaging
  • Drug Resistant Epilepsy / etiology
  • Drug Resistant Epilepsy / surgery*
  • Hemangioma, Cavernous / complications
  • Hemangioma, Cavernous / diagnostic imaging
  • Hemangioma, Cavernous / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Wakefulness*