Introduction
intracranial hypertension
Satisfactory brain relaxation is essential in neurosurgery for sufficient surgical exposure and minimizing the damage to normal brain tissue [Propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) has been widely accepted in neurosurgery due to the capacity of decreasing intracranial pressure (ICP) by reducing cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) [To our knowledge, there are few clinical trials designed to evaluate desflurane anesthesia and TIVA on brain relaxation during craniotomy. Most did not take brain relaxation as a primary endpoint and failed to fully address various factors that may influence brain relaxation, such as the use of mannitol [Therefore, we conducted this randomized controlled trial to test the difference between desflurane anesthesia and TIVA in providing brain relaxation in patients undergoing elective craniotomy without severe intracranial hypertension.