Research from the USA suggests that mistakes in brain surgery are actually quite common.
Most similar studies show an error rate between 1% and 8%, specifically, an adverse event rate between 3.7% and 16.6%,[3,13,17] with about one-quarter to one-half judged as preventable adverse events (errors).
On average, brain surgery long-term survival rate can be between 50-70% except in cases of malignant tumors where chances are lowered. In cases of brain operation performed for non-tumor related brain damage, the chances of survival are significantly enhanced.
Brain surgery might sound like a frightening procedure, but it is quite safe. Doctors who carry out these surgeries are very skilled specialists. You can share any concerns with your doctors and cancer nurse specialist. They will be able to tell you what will happen during the operation.
Some of the possible complications following craniotomy include allergic reaction to the anaesthetic, bleeding, infection, brain damage, brain swelling, stroke and seizures.
Possible risks of brain surgery are: Problems with speech, memory, muscle weakness, balance, vision, coordination, and other functions. These problems may last a short while or they may not go away. Blood clot or bleeding in the brain.
Craniectomy
A craniectomy is a complex surgical procedure that involves removing a portion of the skull to relieve pressure on the brain. The life-saving procedure is typically performed on those with severe brain injuries with swelling and bleeding so severe that it could lead to brain compression and death.
Some people recover well after brain surgery, but this can take some time. Other people have some problems, or long term difficulties. The problems you may have depends on the area of the brain where the tumour was (or still is if you only had part of the tumour removed).
In total, it typically takes about 4-8 weeks to make a full recovery from a brain surgery. The initial incisions on your head may be sore for about a week afterwards. You may have some mild headaches for a period of about 4-8 weeks as well.
The surgical removal by and large is the most effective treatment of brain tumor. With early treatment, more than 85% of patients survive for 5 years. The chances of survival are dropped to 40 % in case of late-stage cancers, when the tumor is large and cannot be removed surgically.
Avoid heavy lifting until your doctor says it is okay. Do not drive until your doctor says it is okay. Ask your doctor if it is safe for you to travel by plane. Avoid risky activities, such as climbing a ladder, until your doctor says it is okay.
Pain is usually minimal since there are only a small number of pain nerve endings in the head. Nevertheless, you may experience headaches and other tenderness in the area that was affected.
A major surgery and its treatments can cause changes in a personality and ability to think. Patients may experience challenges with their communication, concentration, memory and emotional abilities. Most brain tumor patients exhibit signs that are consistent with depression and agitation, especially post surgery.
It might be possible for you to have surgery again to try to remove as much as possible of the tumour. But surgery doesn't help everyone with a recurrent brain tumour. For example, it might not be worth putting you through brain surgery again if: there are several new brain tumours.
Both the 30- and 180-day survival rates for infratentorial craniotomy for glioma were 100% for 2021.
It is possible for the brain to heal itself, with new brain cells growing to replace damaged ones, but much of the 'recovery' we experience is actually due to the brain 're-wiring' itself and finding new pathways to bypass recently-broken connections.
The problem
There is increasing evidence that people who have undergone brain surgery experience significant pain. This pain can have serious consequences including raised blood pressure, agitation, prolonged recovery time and an increased risk of long-term headaches.
Neurosurgery can cause some temporary swelling around the brain, so it's normal to experience memory loss after brain tumour removal or biopsy. You may also experience difficulties with your memory after brain surgery if surgeons had to remove brain cells that were responsible for your memory.
Disc surgeries of the spine have a failure rate greater than 50%. 10% of patients experience a worsening of symptoms after surgical intervention.
Brain surgery is an operation to treat problems in the brain and surrounding structures. Brain surgery may be needed in treatment of subdural hematoma to remove blood and to decrease intracranial pressure. The outcome of the surgery depends on the source, severity, and location of the problem.
Craniotomy. The most common type of surgery to remove a brain tumor is a craniotomy. This procedure involves making an incision in the scalp and removing a piece of bone from the skull to give the neurosurgeon access to the tumor.
Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs)—also known as cavernomas and cavernous angiomas—are abnormal clusters of closely packed, thin-walled blood vessels known as capillaries that form lesions that move tissue in the brain or spinal cord from their normal place and can alter blood flow.