Overview

Brain tumour surgery is a type of neurosurgery that removes all or part of an abnormal growth in the brain. The most common method is a craniotomy, in which a part of the skull is removed for a short time so that the tumour can be reached. Depending on the size, type, and location of the tumour, surgery may try to completely remove it (total resection) or only part of it (debulking) to ease pressure and symptoms. To improve accuracy, minimally invasive or image-guided techniques are sometimes used. People with brain tumours often have surgery along with other treatments like radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The main goals are to ease symptoms, get tissue for diagnosis, and improve survival rates.

Why It's Done
Brain tumour surgery is performed to remove tumours, whether cancerous or not, that are putting pressure on other parts of the brain. Tumours can cause headaches, seizures, weakness, vision problems, or changes in behaviour. Surgery helps confirm the diagnosis by taking a biopsy and makes the tumour smaller to help the brain work better. In many cases, safely removing as much of the tumour as possible makes other treatments work better and improves the long-term outlook.

What to Expect?
Before surgery, the patient undergoes detailed imaging, such as MRI or CT scans, to locate the tumour. Tests on the blood and nervous system have been done. The surgical team discusses the risks and benefits of the surgery and the anaesthesia plan. Most of the time, general anaesthesia is used during the procedure. The skull is carefully opened up, and special tools are used to take out the tumour without hurting any healthy brain tissue. Neuronavigation and intraoperative monitoring are two advanced methods that can be used to make procedures safer. In some cases, brain surgery is done while the patient is awake so that speech or motor function can be monitored while the tumour is being removed. The patient is closely watched in an intensive care unit after surgery. Follow-up imaging checks how much of the tumour was removed. Based on the biopsy results, more treatments may be planned.

Recovery & Outlook
The size, location, and overall health of the tumour all affect how long it takes to recover. Patients may experience swelling, fatigue, or neurological symptoms that resolve over time. Rehabilitation therapy might be needed to help someone regain their speech or movement. Many people benefit a lot from surgery, especially when tumours are found early. The long-term outlook depends on the type of tumour and how well it responds to further treatment.