Awake Craniotomy for Tumor Surgery <Awake Craniotomy, Tumor, Mapping>

Despite advances in the field of surgical neuro-oncology, optimal surgical management of brain tumors located within or near eloquent areas is challenging for neurosurgeons. In these circumstances, there are two main goals of surgery: a) maximal tumor resection to improve tumor control and survival, and b) preservation of preoperative neurological functions to improve the patient’s quality of life. There is a body of evidence supporting the significant role of maximal resection in increasing overall survival and reduction of recurrence rate following surgical management of intrinsic brain tumors especially gliomas (either low-grade or high-grade) [1-21]. Much effort has been done to achieve an ideal balance between these two goals and awake craniotomy (AC) is one of the most known and appreciated techniques in this regard.