Intraoperative optical imaging of metabolic changes after direct cortical stimulation - a clinical tool for guidance...

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Imaging
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Brain tumor resection presents significant surgical challenges.
• Current methods for intraoperative tumor identification have limitations.
• Accurate differentiation between tumor and healthy brain tissue is crucial for optimal patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel optical imaging approach combined with direct electrical cortical stimulation (DCS) for intraoperative tumor identification.
• To evaluate the feasibility of this technique in distinguishing tumor tissue from functional brain tissue.
• To assess the potential clinical utility of this combined method in neurosurgery.

Main Methods:

• Optical imaging setup utilized for intraoperative measurements.
• Direct electrical cortical stimulation (DCS) applied to tumor and surrounding brain tissue.
• Comparison of optical property changes between tumor and healthy brain tissue in three glioma resection patients.

Main Results:

• The combined optical imaging and DCS technique successfully differentiated non-functional tumor tissue from functional brain tissue in all patients.
• Characteristic optical property changes were observed and compared between tissue types.
• Proof-of-concept measurements demonstrated the technique's potential.

Conclusions:

• The novel optical imaging and DCS approach shows promise as a clinical tool for intraoperative brain tumor identification.
• This technique may improve the precision of tumor resection by enhancing the visualization of tumor margins and critical functional areas.
• Further clinical validation is warranted to establish its role in neurosurgical practice.