Pre-Operative Non-Shaving for Neurosurgical Operations

The authors described a pre-operative technique for neurosurgical operations that involved minimal shaving of the scalp, which was used on over 1,000 patients in three years. This approach provided significant psychological benefits by avoiding complete hair removal. The technique included thorough cleaning of the scalp with repeated shampoos, shaving only a thin pathway along the incision line, and using tincture of iodine for disinfection. They reported a reduction in surgical infections requiring bone flap removal to 0.6%. Additionally, transient partial alopecia was observed in three patients.