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Published on: February 19, 2019
Comparison between electric-field-navigated and line-navigated TMS for cortical motor mapping in patients with brain
Nico Sollmann1,2, Moritz F Goblirsch-Kolb1, Sebastian Ille1,2
1Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.
Background:
For the navigation of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), various techniques are available. Yet, there are two basic principles underlying them all: electric-field-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (En-TMS) and line-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (Ln-TMS). The current study was designed to compare both methods.
Methods:
To explore whether there is a difference in clinical applicability, workflow, and mapping results of both techniques, we systematically compared motor mapping via En-TMS and Ln-TMS in 12 patients suffering from brain tumors.
Results:
The number of motor-positive stimulation spots and the ratio of positive spots per overall stimulation numbers were significantly higher for En-TMS (motor-positive spots: En-TMS vs. Ln-TMS: 128.3 ± 35.0 vs. 41.3 ± 26.8, p < 0.0001; ratio of motor-positive spots per number of stimulations: En-TMS vs. Ln-TMS: 38.0 ± 9.2 % vs. 20.0 ± 14.4 %, p = 0.0031). Distances between the En-TMS and Ln-TMS motor hotspots were 8.3 ± 4.4 mm on the ipsilesional and 8.6 ± 4.5 mm on the contralesional hemisphere (p = 0.9124).
Conclusions:
The present study compares En-TMS and Ln-TMS motor mapping in the neurosurgical context for the first time. Although both TMS systems tested in the present study are explicitly designed for application during motor mapping in patients with brain lesions, there are differences in applicability, workflow, and results between En-TMS and Ln-TMS, which should be distinctly considered during clinical use of the technique. However, to draw final conclusions about accuracy, confirmation of motor-positive Ln-TMS spots by intraoperative stimulation is crucial within the scope of upcoming investigations.
