Use of ultrasonic aspiration for dural opening in re-do epilepsy surgery: a preliminary report

Dural detachment from the brain in cranial reoperations has been accomplished previously by selective coagulation and cutting of brain cutting procedures led the authors ultrasonic aspiration during tumor surgery or brain cutting procedures led the authors to speculate that detachment of the duramater from the brain tumors by appling the Cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator (CUSA) to the brain-duramater interface could be used to reduce bleeding and facilitate dural opening during cranial re-operations. Thus, the use of ultrasonic aspiration and its effects on brain separation from the duramater were examined. Ten patients underwent a second craniotomy for epilepsy surgery (5 cases of extended temporal lobectomy and 5 cases of extended extratemporal lesionectomy). Intraoperative use of the CUSA during dural opening produced immediate blanching of the duramater and enhanced visualization of the cortical surface without distortion of the brain anatomy. Incremental dural opening and brain visualization is achieved by careful application of ultrasonic aspiration directly into the brain-dura limit, producing immediate regional dural devascularization. Use of this technique reduces cortical and dural bleeding and enhances the ease and effectiveness of brain visualization (AU)