Mapping of the cortical spinal tracts using magnetoencephalography and diffusion tensor tractography in pediatric brain tumor patients

Prior to resection of a cerebral brain tumor, mapping of the functional and structural anatomy of the adjacent tissue is essential to reduce the risk of damage to descending and ascending pathways. We investigated the effectiveness of concurrent magnetoencephalography (MEG) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography to delineate the motor cortex and associated corticospinal tract (CST) in a case series of children with brain tumors seen for pre-surgical evaluation. Using activation points generated from MEG to launch tractography, we delineated the CST of four patients and eight control subjects. Displacement of the CST was considerably larger in children with tumors located in the center of the hemisphere than in children whose tumors were more posteriorly located. Our findings suggest that the use of concurrent MEG and DTI may be an effective tool in the pre-surgical evaluation of eloquent cortex and associated white matter tracts in pediatric brain tumor patients.