Postoperative Seizure Rate After Transcortical Resection of Subcortical Brain Tumors and Colloid Cysts: A Single Surgeon’s Experience

When deciding on a surgical route to reach subcortical brain tumors and colloid cysts, many surgeons advocate the use of transcallosal, transsulcal, or skull base approaches over transcortical approaches due to a high reported incidence of postoperative seizures. We have retrospectively analyzed all patients operated upon by a senior neurosurgeon (Ricardo J. Komotar) who undertook transcortical approaches for the resection of subcortical brain tumors and colloid cysts. We have also performed a comprehensive review of the literature to estimate postoperative seizure risk after transcortical approaches for the resection of deep tumors and colloid cysts. Of 27 patients who underwent transcortical approaches for the resection of subcortical brain tumors and colloid cysts, zero had postoperative seizures. A comprehensive review of the literature shows an 8.3% postoperative risk of seizures after the transcortical approach. Our institution has never experienced a postoperative seizure following the transcortical approach for the resection of deep tumors and colloid cysts. For this reason, we advocate selecting a surgical approach that obtains adequate lesion exposure and minimizes the violation and retraction of eloquent cortex, venous structures, and white matter tracts, rather than on presumed postoperative seizure risk.