Complications Following Craniotomy for Supratentorial Tumors

Abstract

Background: Craniotomy can lead to certain complications like all other surgical procedures. Objectives: to examine the possible complications encountered within 30 days of operation in patients undergo craniotomy for supratentorial intracranial tumors with identifying patients at great risk for development of such complications and recording time of occurrence of it. Material and Methods: our study carried out during the period from Jan.2019-Jan. 2021 in Basrah neurosurgery center in Al-Sader teaching hospital on 60 randomly selected patients undergo elective craniotomy for supratentorial intracranial tumors and followed up for 30 days for postoperative complications especially hematoma, postoperative infections and death. Result:  Postoperative complications occurred in 35% of patients with hematoma occurred in 6.7% and postoperative infection in 8.3%. Morality was 8.5%. Hematoma mostly developed during intensive care unit (ICU) observation with site of tumors can predict hematoma and death complications. Conclusion: Morbidity and mortality following elective craniotomy does not appear to depend on tumor histology, revision surgery or primary surgery, presence or absence of chronic illness but does depend on tumor location and age of patients. Morbidity rate was 35% and mortality rate was 8.5%; so elective craniotomy for supratentorial tumors carries high complications rate with postoperative hematoma and death are the most seriously encountered complications. Our study shows that most serious complications occurred in the first 24hrs and death occurred in the patients who were not recovered from anesthesia therefore, surgical judgements, technical skills and proper anesthesia play important roles in minimizing these complications.