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When you hear the term craniotomy, it refers to the process or procedure where we take off a small window of the skull in order to gain access to the brain and the structures that are inside. In general, an incision is made right around the area of interest. A drill is used to remove that small window of bone. And then the brain is accessed for the operation that’s intended. After the operation is complete, the bone is generally replaced using titanium plates and screws, and sometimes reabsorbable plates. Every now and again, an operation will be planned where the bone is not intended to be replaced. Once the bone is replaced, then the muscle and connective tissue layers will be closed individually and the skin will be closed. And after a craniotomy is performed, depending on how complicated the rest of the procedure is, patient will generally be brought into the hospital and observed for at least a day. Sometimes postoperative imaging will be performed, and when something does go wrong, it typically happens in that first six to 12 hour period. And that’s why we watch you most carefully during that period. Once we’re out of that six to 12 hour observation period, then a lot of the recovery process has to do with the patient becoming comfortable with eating and drinking enough, with managing some of the postoperative pain with oral medications and walking around safely in order to guarantee that they’ll be safe when they go home.
