ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses anaesthesias for neurosurgeries. It also explains the treatment, preoperative assessment, intraoperative management and postoperative management. These anaesthesias include anaesthesia for intracranial neurovascular surgery, anaesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging, anaesthesia for non-craniotomy neurosurgery, anaesthesia for posterior fossa surgery, anaesthesia for spine surgery and anaesthesia for supratentorial surgery. Patients may require neurosurgery for treatment of cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and other vascular abnormalities, or following intracranial haemorrhage. Images are produced by placing patients within a strong magnetic field and applying pulses of radiofrequency energy. This results in intermittent release of RF energy from hydrogen nuclei, which is detected by a series of close-fitting receiving antennae. Stereotatic neurosurgery is used to facilitate precise localisation of intracranial lesions. The posterior fossa houses the cerebellum, pons, medulla, lower cranial nerves and fourth ventricle. It is bounded by the tentorium above, the foramen magnum below, the occiput posteriorly and the clivus anteriorly.
