Clinical application of intraoperative trial-free online-based language mapping for patients with refractory epilepsy

The objective of the study was to develop and clinically test a trial-free online-based language mapping method for localizing the eloquent cortex easily in epilepsy operation.

Nine patients with refractory epilepsy were included in this study according to the results of preoperative evaluation for their epileptogenic zones (EZs) located adjacent to the eloquent cortex. When patients were awakened up from general anesthesia during operation, the trial-free online-based language-mapping paradigm was performed. All positive points marked on the cortex in each test were labeled and superimposed together as the result of functional mapping for each patient. The eloquent cortex was mapped according to the results obtained both from the intraoperative trial-free task localization method and the traditional electrical cortical stimulation (ECS).

All patients completed this paradigms twice within 10 min. Based on the results of mapping, the EZs were tried to fully resected on the premise of preserving the mapped eloquent cortex as much as possible. The postoperative follow-up showed the outcome of Engel I in six patients and Engel II in three patients, whereas only two patients had aphemia after surgery and recovered within one week and three months, respectively.

The intraoperative trial-free online-based language mapping method was primarily identified to be safe and effective. This novel method seems to be promising and worthy of improvement.