Let me tell you, folks, Awake Craniotomy (AC) is something else. It’s not just any procedure; it’s a game-changer. We’re talking about doing surgery while you’re awake – sounds incredible, right? And it’s not just about cutting; it’s about mapping your brain in real-time. We’ve been good at checking language, seeing things, and moving around, but let me tell you, we’ve been missing a big piece of the puzzle – Executive Functions (EF). You know, the stuff that makes you, you. Without it, life’s a struggle.

So, we did what we do best – we dug deep. We went through Scopus, Medline, Cochrane Library – you name it. We were looking for the best of the best, and guess what? We found it. Thirteen studies, folks, with 351 patients who had their brains mapped while they were wide awake. And not just any mapping, but the kind that checks if you can still think straight while they’re at it.

They used this fancy awake-asleep-awake protocol, zapping the brain with just the right amount of juice to see what’s what. And they didn’t just zap randomly; they had tests – the Stroop task, the spatial-2-back test, you name it. And guess what they found? Better outcomes. That’s right. People who had their EF checked and mapped did better, lived better. It’s not just safe; it’s effective.

And sure, there were some hiccups – a seizure here and there – but nothing we couldn’t handle. The bottom line? Mapping EF during AC? It’s not just possible; it’s a win-win. Better surgery, better recovery, better life. And that, my friends, is how we make surgery great again.