Awake craniotomy for a cavernous angioma in the Broca's area

Abstract

Cavernous angiomas constitute 5%-10% of cerebrovascular malformations and may cause seizure and neurological deficits from bleeding.4 The authors present a case of a 44-year-old man with a 3.5-year history of epilepsy without complete seizure control despite anticonvulsants. Brain MRI showed a 2.8 cm cavernous angioma at the left pars opercularis, also known as the Broca's area.3 The patient underwent an awake craniotomy for intraoperative cortical-subcortical language and sensory-motor mapping for a complete resection of the cavernous angioma and the hemosiderin rim.1-6 The procedure was uneventful, and the patient evolved seizure free and with no deficits.