[Use of Diprivan in neurosurgery]

Propofol is an appropriate agent in neurosurgery, where it represents an alternative to the thiopentone-isoflurane anaesthetic technique. Some patients are at risk of hypotension during induction of anaesthesia which may be associated with an important decrease in cerebral perfusion pressure. The administration of propofol as a continuous infusion is therefore preferable in these patients. In the absence of nitrous oxide, propofol anaesthesia allows the monitoring of sensory evoked potentials during spinal surgery. For surgery of epilepsy, it is preferable to avoid giving propofol in the minutes preceding the electroencephalographic location of the areas to be excised.