Intraoperative MRI (ioMRI) in the setting of awake craniotomies for supratentorial glioma resection.

Both awake craniotomy under conscious sedation and use of intraoperative MRI can increase the efficiency and safety of glioma resections. In contrast to craniotomies under general anesthesia, neurosurgery under conscious sedation requires several changes to the routine operative setup when performed in the ioMRI environment. This work reports our experience with awake craniotomies under conscious sedation using ioMRI. Seven patients underwent awake-craniotomies for resection of supratentorial gliomas using ioMRI at the Ohio State University Medical Center and James Cancer Hospital by a single surgeon. ioMRI can be safely employed in patients who are undergoing craniotomies under conscious sedation. Particularly important is the evaluation by the anesthesiologist whether the patient is a good candidate to sustain a likely longer than average procedure in a setting where his active cooperation is not only required, but also the essential aspect of this procedure.