The Impact of Functional Mapping on the Results of Low-grade - WHO Grade II - Glioma Surgery

Low-grade glioma WHO II is an intrinsic tumour of the young and middle-aged, often well-differentiated, in certain cases with a favourable long-term prognosis. At the same time, its microsurgical differentiation from healthy and potentially highly functional brain tissue often proves difficult. Thus, use of functional mapping methods during surgery becomes essential. This article evaluates the clinical results of 40 low-grade surgical procedures in 35 patients, with particular reference to the evaluation of epilepsy compensation and return to accustomed employment. How radical the resection has been is certainly one of the factors most involved in a favourable prognosis; this is evaluated by means of computer-aided semiautomatic volumetry. In this contribution we also focus on the feasibility of meaningful resection in relation to individual functional areas of the brain.