FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING FOR CORTICAL MAPPING IN PEDIATRIC NEUROSURGERY

Currently there is considerable interest in applying functional imagin g modalities to the problem of cortical localization. We present the c ase of a 15-year-old boy with a seizure disorder related to a tumor in the dominant supplementary motor area. This case illustrates the usef ulness of functional magnetic resonance imaging as a new imaging tool for localization of cortical function in younger patients. The functio nal magnetic resonance imaging provided an anatomically accurate topog raphic map of operative site and subcortical structures along with rel evant functional cortex. This information was useful for both presurgi cal planning and intraoperative localization, Validation of the techni que in this instance was confirmed with intraoperative cortical motor mapping and the postoperative result.