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A burr hole drill is a neurosurgical drilling device used to make a small opening in the skull. The opening is called a burr hole. It gives surgeons access to the space beneath the skull for selected brain or pressure-related procedures. Burr hole drills are used only by trained surgical teams in controlled clinical settings.
read more about burr hole drill ...A burr hole drill may be used to drain certain collections of blood or fluid, place monitoring devices, pass drainage catheters, or begin a larger cranial opening. It can be used in selected cases of subdural hematoma, hydrocephalus, intracranial pressure monitoring, brain biopsy, or neurosurgical access. The reason for drilling determines the site, size, and next surgical steps. Imaging and surgical planning guide the approach.
The drill uses a specialized bit to cut through the skull bone at a planned location. Many systems include a perforator or safety stop designed to reduce the chance of plunging too deeply. Once the bone is opened, the surgeon manages the underlying tissue based on the procedure. Additional instruments may be used to widen, drain, monitor, or treat the area.
Burr hole drills can be manual, pneumatic, electric, or battery-powered. Some use disposable perforator bits, while others use reusable handpieces with sterilized accessories. High-speed cranial drills and twist drills may be used for different neurosurgical tasks. The selected drill depends on the procedure, location, urgency, and available equipment.
Possible risks include bleeding, infection, brain injury, dural tear, seizure, cerebrospinal fluid leak, incomplete drainage, or need for further surgery. Precise positioning, imaging review, sterile technique, and controlled drilling help reduce risk. Patients are monitored afterward for neurologic changes, bleeding, swelling, fever, or pressure symptoms. Severe headache, confusion, weakness, seizure, vomiting, or decreased alertness after surgery requires urgent care.
Yes. It is used to create a small opening through the skull during selected neurosurgical procedures.
No. A burr hole is a small skull opening. A craniotomy removes a larger bone flap to expose more of the brain.
Yes. Some subdural hematomas are treated by drilling a small hole to drain blood and relieve pressure.
It is used by neurosurgeons or trained surgical teams in appropriate hospital or emergency surgical settings.
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Subdural Hematoma: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21183-subdural-hematoma. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.
Craniotomy. StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560922/. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.
Electric Cranial Drill Motor: Product Classification. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfpcd/classification.cfm?id=4041. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.
Burr-Hole Evacuation of Chronic Subdural Hematoma. PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6337972/. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.