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URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/presentations/100048.htm

Craniotomy - series—Indication

Indication

Overview

Brain surgery may be needed to treat:

  • Brain tumors
  • Bleeding (hemorrhage) or blood clots (hematomas) from injuries (subdural hematoma or epidural hematomas)
  • Weaknesses in blood vessels (cerebral aneurysms)
  • Damage to tissues covering the brain (dura)
  • Pockets of infection in the brain (brain abscesses)
  • Severe nerve or facial pain (such as trigeminal neuralgia or tic douloureux)
  • Epilepsy

Review Date 1/18/2023

Updated by: Luc Jasmin, MD, Ph.D., FRCS (C), FACS, Department of Surgery, Johnson City Medical Center, TN; Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.