Operative approach due to results of functional magnetic resonance imaging in central brain tumors

Since 1995 we have been investigating the localization of the cortical motor strip by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in central brain tumor cases. Forty patients have been operated on using these data for preoperative planning. Intraoperative sensory evoked potentials (SEP) and cortical motor evoked potential (performed in 18 patients) showed a good correlation with fMRI data with the exception of two cases. Only 12.5% of cases were permanently worsened as a result of increasing postoperative pareses.