Clinical application of functional MRI: a strategic tool for neurosurgery

The purpose was to incorporate preoperative functional imaging data into an atomic data of operative microscope for neurosurgical procedures of patient s suffering from lesions contiguous to eloquent brain areas. The day before surgery, patients bearing scalp markers underwent fMRI, just before? anatomical contrast-enhanced MR images. FMRI data analysis were realised using a t test (p < 0.0001). The resulting functional-anatomical images were downloaded onto a surgical neuronavigati on computer in order to outline tumoral target and functional areas. At surgery, cortical stimulation has been used to confirm functional data. Functional image-guided surgery of lesions abutting functional cortex can b e safely performed.