Direct cortical stimulation but not transcranial electrical stimulation motor evoked potentials detect brain ischemia during brain tumor resection.

Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by both direct cortical stimulation (DCS) and transcranial electrical stimulation are used during brain tumor resection. Parallel use of direct cortical stimulation motor evoked potentials (DCS-MEPs) and transcranial electrical stimulation motor evoked potentials (TCeMEPs) has been practiced during brain tumor resection. We report that DCS-MEPs elicited by direct subdural grid stimulation, but not TCeMEPs, detected brain ischemia during brain tumor resection. Following resection of a brainstem high-grade glioma in a 21-year-old, the threshold of cortical motor-evoked-potentials (cMEPs) increased from 13 mA to 20 mA while amplitudes decreased. No changes were noted in transcranial motor evoked potentials (TCMEPs), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs), auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), anesthetics, or hemodynamic parameters. Our case showed the loss of cMEPs and SSEPs, but not TCeMEPs. Permanent loss of DCS-MEPs and SSEPs was correlated with permanent left hemiplegia in our patient even when appropriate action was taken. Parallel use of DCS- and TCeMEPs with SSEPs improves sensitivity of intraoperative detection of motor impairment. DCS may be superior to TCeMEPs during brain tumor resection.