Surgery can be the treatment of various types of brain tumours. The primary aim of brain tumour surgery is to remove as much of the tumour as safely as possible without damaging the surrounding brain tissue.
What does the procedure involve?
In most cases, a procedure called a craniotomy is performed. Most operations are carried out under general anaesthesia, which means you’ll be asleep during the procedure. But in some cases, you may need to be awake and responsive, in which case local anaesthesia will be used.
Besides, an area of your scalp will be shaved, and a section of your skull cut out as a flap to reveal the brain and tumour underneath. The surgeon will remove the tumour and fix the bone flap back into place with metal screws. The skin is closed with either sutures or staples.
If it is not possible to remove the entire tumour, you may need further treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Some patients recover very quickly following surgery, and others take longer. No two people will feel the same.
References:
- https://www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk/patient-leaflets/discharge-guide-for-patients-with-a-brain-tumour/483660
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/benign-brain-tumour/treatment/