• Elise Riquin, Mickael Dinomais, Jean Malka, Thierry Lehousse, Philippe Duverger, Philippe Menei, and Matthieu Delion.
• Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital of Angers, Angers, France. Electronic address: elise.riquin@chu-angers.fr.
• World Neurosurg. 2017 Jun 1; 102: 400-405.

BackgroundIntraoperative direct stimulation during surgery while awake is considered to be the gold standard for identifying eloquent cortical sites. Only a few studies have referenced the psychologic impact of this event in the pediatric population.ObjectiveThe aim of this clinical study is to present the psychologic aspects of surgery while awake in children. We question the psychiatric contraindications and age limits, as well as the impact on children, with particular attention to the psychologic conditioning and experience of these patients.MethodsSeven patients aged 8-16 years old with brain lesions were operated on while awake between 2008 and 2015. Data collected included perception and memories of surgery and diagnosis and also their real-life experience after surgery. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder or acute stress were investigated.ResultsNone of the children had initial psychiatric problems. No psychiatric diagnosis was made before surgery. The child psychiatrist did not contraindicate any child for this procedure. Patients experienced little anticipatory anxiety. No child presented symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder or acute stress.ConclusionsThe results are encouraging, allowing us to contemplate using brain surgery while awake for children without particular worries about the psychologic aspect.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

26 keywords...

hide…