I got some direct feedback regarding this x-ray from my neurosurgeon, Dr. Patrick J. Kelly. He helped me to understand why the craniotomy had to be so large. "The problem with cases such as yours is that we have to open the Sylvian fissure from stem to stern to get enough exposure to see the extent of the tumor." In other words, they were not sure how much tumor they were going to find, because the MRI shows part but not the entire tumor. Once inside my brain, they did not want to end up in a position where they needed more access to other parts of my brain but had not cut a big enough hole to get to them. Makes sense.
