Functional MR and diffusion MR imaging in diffuse low-grade gliomas

Abstract

In the last decade, functional MR imaging and MR tractography with diffusion tensor imaging have changed the way to evaluate patients with glioma before surgery, in particular when the tumor is infiltrating eloquent brain structures. Mapping of cortical sites and white matter pathways may improve presurgical planning and surgical targeting with neuronavigational devices, and it may reduce intraoperative time. Clinical use of these advanced MR imaging tools is growing in importance, and exams in patients are increasingly being requested by neurosurgeons worldwide. Applications and current limitations of fMRI and MR diffusion tractography are discussed focusing on the sensorimotor, speech, and visuospatial networks.