Roles of BRW CT Stereotaxic in Less Accessible Brain Lesions

Ihm, Jowa Hyuk; Chi, Yong Chul; Choi, Byung Yeran; Moon, Choong Bae; Cho, Soo Ho

Abstract

With improvement of computerized tomography(CT), stereotaxic surgery has been applied for neurosurgery ; aspiration of deep-seated brain lesions, radiotherapy using a small radiogenic sources, and evacuation of hematoma. And so, a prototype Brown-Roberts-Wells(BRW) CT stereotaxic system has been avaible to us. We report its utilization in evaluation and management of less accessible brain lesions. Surgical exploration was undertaken in 25 patients with various less accessible brain lesions using BRW system : 9 superficial lesions including the motor cortex and multiple lesions, 5 deep-seated lesions, 3 parasellar lesions, 8 brain stem lesions. Histologically, there are 5 gliomas, 4 metastatic cancers, 8 hematomas, 3 brain abscesses, 1 medulloblastoma, 1 malignant melanoma, 1 cryptic AVM, and 2 undiagnosed cases. There are two complications : 1 intratumoral bleeing, 1 rebleeding. The diagnostic rate is 92%. There is no mortality in this series. This BRW CT-guidance stereotaxic approach for less accessible lesions have following advantages ; 1) accurate, simple and safe ; 2) performed under local anesthesia ; 3) less traumatic and low cost ; 4) easily diagnosed ; 5) relatively no limitation in lesion sites.