Craniotomy Health Article

Abnormal results

Possible complications after craniotomy include:

• swelling of the brain
• excessive intracranial pressure
• infection
• seizures

See Also Brain and central nervous system tumors; Computed tomography; Magnetic resonance imaging

Resources

ORGANIZATIONS

American Cancer Society. 1599 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329. 800 (ACS)-2345). <http://www.cancer.org>.

Cancer Information Service, National Cancer Institute. Building 31, Room 10A19, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892. (800) 4-CANCER. <http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancerinfo/index.html>.

Carol A. Turkington

Craniotome

—A type of surgical drill used to operate on the skull. It has a self-controlled system that stops the drill when the bone is penetrated.

Computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan

—Using x rays taken from many angles and computermodeling, CT scans help locate and size tumors and provide information on whether they can be surgically removed.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

—MRI uses magnets and radio waves to create detailed cross-sectional pictures of the interior of the body.