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Updated: Aug 29, 2026
Computer-based Multitaper Spectrogram Program for Electroencephalographic Data
Published on: November 13, 2019
Intraoperative EEG power spectrum alterations in patients with malignant brain tumors
Duygu Aydin1, Kasandra Albarran2, Christopher Miciotto2
1Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Background:
Intraoperative electroencephalography (EEG) is increasingly used to guide anesthetic management. However, potential differences in EEG features remain poorly understood in patients with central nervous system pathologies, including brain tumors, leaving a critical knowledge gap regarding how structural brain lesions alter the anesthetic-induced EEG changes.
Methods:
In this prospective observational pilot study, EEG data from patients undergoing craniotomies for the removal of malignant brain tumors (n = 21), benign brain tumors (n = 20), and from a control group of non-neurological surgeries (n = 32) were evaluated. The incidence of visually identified burst suppression during induction and maintenance as well as the power spectra from two artifact-free, burst suppression-free EEG episodes at the beginning and end of the maintenance were compared.
Results:
Both benign and malignant tumor patients did not exhibit a significantly higher incidence of burst suppression during induction or maintenance compared to non-neurological controls. Malignant tumor patients had significantly lower absolute and relative beta band-power than benign tumor and control patients.
Conclusions:
The EEG patterns of patients with malignant brain tumors differed significantly from those of patients with benign tumors and non-neurological controls. Further studies are needed to better characterize the EEG alterations and their clinical implications in this vulnerable patient population.
