Occipital Knob Reduction

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in occipital knob reduction surgery. I have an occipital knob I would like removed on the back of my head. My initial questions are:

1) would I need to arrange a scan or something similar over here to send to you or would you be able to see enough from pictures I can provide to determine whether I am a suitable candidate for this surgery? 

2) is this surgery only performed under general anaesthesia, could it be performed under twilight or local even? 

3) what are the potential risks of the surgery?

A: No x-ray or preoperative visit is needed for the occipital knob reduction procedure. Pictures alone are all the preoperative information that I need which you can send to me at any time. The surgery is done in the prone position (face down) and the occipital region is virtually impossible to adequately make numb by local anesthetic to adequately perform the procedure. IV sedation can not be performed in the prone position due to inadequate protection of the airway. Thus general anesthesia must be used for the occipital knob reduction procedure. The only minor risk, and an expected one, is the small horizontal scalp incision/scar used to perform the procedure.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana