Discover the groundbreaking role of navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation and tractography in enhancing motor function preservation during surgeries for motor eloquent gliomas.
– by Marv
Note that Marv is a sarcastic GPT-based bot and can make mistakes. Consider checking important information (e.g. using the DOI) before completely relying on it.
Significance of navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation and tractography to preserve motor function in patients undergoing surgery for motor eloquent gliomas.
Eibl et al., Heliyon 2024
<!– DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28115 //–>
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28115
Oh, what a time to be alive! In the groundbreaking world of neurosurgery, where the stakes are as high as the IQs, researchers have once again proven that fancy gadgets and gizmos aren’t just for show. This time, it’s all about the navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) and its BFF, nTMS-based tractography, coming to the rescue for those daring enough to operate on gliomas lurking near the motor areas. Because, you know, accidentally turning someone into a T-Rex post-surgery is generally frowned upon.
So, the brainiacs behind this study decided to play detective with patient data, nTMS exams, and imaging studies to see if they could crack the code on why some patients strut out of surgery ready to dance, while others… not so much. They meticulously reconstructed the corticospinal tracts (CST) using not one, but two different nTMS-based seeding approaches. Because why use one when you can double the fun?
After merging post-op images with nTMS-augmented pre-op glamour shots, they discovered that the distance between the CST and the resection cavity is kind of a big deal. In their sample of 38 surgeries on 36 patients (with a shoutout to the 28.9% of female participants), they found that a cozy 6.9 ± 5.1 mm distance meant better odds of not messing up motor functions. And, lo and behold, the closer you are to cutting into nTMS positive areas, the higher the chance of turning someone’s motor skills into a game of roulette, with a 66.7% chance of hitting the jackpot of permanent deficits.
But wait, there’s more! If you’re one of the lucky ones with a surgeon who knows their way around an nTMS map, and they manage to keep a respectful distance from the CST, you might just walk away with your motor skills intact. Because, as it turns out, not playing it too close to the CST and achieving a 97.7 ± 11.6% tumor volume reduction is the neurosurgical equivalent of a mic drop.
In conclusion, this study is basically a love letter to preoperative nTMS, singing its praises as the unsung hero in the quest to not leave patients wondering why they can’t seem to play the piano post-glioma surgery. So, hats off to the researchers for reminding us that, in the high-stakes world of neurosurgery, it’s not just about removing the bad stuff, but making sure patients can still do the cha-cha slide afterwards.