Functional near-infrared spectroscopy for intraoperative brain mapping

Tianming Qiu; N U Farrukh Hameed; Yuerong Peng; Shuheng Wang; Jinsong Wu; Liangfu Zhou

doi:10.1117/1.NPh.6.4.045010

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy for intraoperative brain mapping

Neurophotonics. 2019 Oct;6(4):045010. doi: 10.1117/1.NPh.6.4.045010. Epub 2019 Nov 25.

Authors

Tianming Qiu¹, N U Farrukh Hameed¹, Yuerong Peng², Shuheng Wang³, Jinsong Wu¹, Liangfu Zhou⁴

Affiliations

¹ Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Glioma Surgery Division, Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai, China.
² Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Department of Anesthesia, Shanghai, China.
³ Yale University, Statistics and Data Science Department, Connecticut, United States.
⁴ Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a relatively new seizure-free technique and its value for intraoperative brain mapping is unknown. We examine the feasibility of fNIRS for intraoperative functional brain mapping. A $1 \times 1 {cm}^{2}$ density fNIRS probe specially designed for intraoperative use was used to map brain function in adult patients undergoing awake brain surgery and performing motor and/or language tasks. The ability of fNIRS for functional mapping was compared with direct cortical stimulation (DCS) and regression was used to determine if mean blood pressure (MBP) and blood hemoglobin influenced fNIRS measurements. Eighteen patients underwent awake craniotomy and performed 19 language- and 17 motor-related tasks. fNIRS mapping was highly correlated with DCS for 10 language- and 7 motor-related tasks. fNIRS was able to detect functional language ( $p < 0.001$ ) and motor areas ( $p = 0.002$ ). Compared to DCS, fNIRS was less accurate in determining both functional language (at least 22.64%, $p < 0.001$ ) and motor areas (at least 32.74%, $p < 0.001$ ). Higher MBP and blood hemoglobin were associated with better fNIRS results ( $p = 0.045$ and 0.007, respectively). No seizures or other complications occurred during fNIRS measurement. fNIRS is a promising seizure-free technique for intraoperative brain mapping. The accuracy of current technology needs further development for clinical use.

Keywords: brain mapping; cortex; functional; infrared; spectroscopy.

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