What is the medical term meaning incision into the skull?

Answer 1

Craniotomy is the term for opening the cranium, or skull, for surgical purposes. It is commonly done by Neurosurgeons for operating on patients of head injury, brain tumor, or hemorrhage inside the head. The doctor drills, usually 4 holes, in a square shape. He has a stopper on the drill bit to stop him from punching through and drilling the brain. He then uses a mini saw that looks like a circular saw with a handle. He then saws through the bone connecting the 4 holes. Then he just pries up the piece. In a trauma situation the brain will be swelling and after surgery the doctor may opt to keep the piece of skull off while the swelling subsides. The piece has to maintain its "life" so to speak, and it is placed in the patients abdomen to keep it "alive" while the swelling goes down. In a non-trauma situation, the doctor replaces the piece with brackets screwed into the piece and skull.