I had decided to carry out the operation in what is called, simply enough, the sitting position. The unconscious patient’s head is attached to the pin headrest which in turn is connected to a shiny metal scaffold, attached to the operating table. The table is then split and the top half hinged upwards, so that the patient is sitting bolt upright. This helps reduce blood loss during surgery and also improves access to the tumour, but involves a small risk of anaesthetic disaster as the venous blood pressure in the patient’s head in the sitting position is below atmospheric room pressure.
