Abstract
A stereotactic biopsy of a lesion in the posterior fossa or in the occipital lobe is usually performed under general anesthesia, with the patient placed in a prone or a lateral position. Using another approach, the authors describe a biopsy procedure performed in a sitting position, which allows for the use of a local anesthesia. The advantages of this sitting position is not only that it minimizes the risk associated with the use of a general anesthesia, but also that it allows surgeons to monitor the patient's neurological function intraoperatively, so as to defect signs of any intracranial complication. This operative procedure is described and the cases of three typical patients are presented.
