Pediatric Awake Craniotomy: An Educational Review

Awake craniotomies with functional cortical mapping are performed to minimize post-operative deficits from the resection of lesions adjacent to eloquent cortex. The procedure is well-established in the adult patient population and is increasingly applied to well-selected pediatric patients. A review of recent literature demonstrated that the most commonly reported anesthetic techniques were "asleep-awake-asleep" protocols that relied on propofol, remifentanil, or fentanyl.

This educational review discusses the unique challenges that face the anesthesiology and neurosurgical teams when working with the pediatric population. To further illustrate pediatric-specific considerations, a case of a 9-year-old boy who underwent a resection of a large left peri-rolandic ependymoma is presented, including his multidisciplinary pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative care.

Awake craniotomies can safely be performed in the pediatric population with appropriate patient selection, planning, and a multi-disciplinary approach.