title: The role of monopolar stimulation during computed-tomography-guided stereotactic biopsies.
abstract: 44 patients underwent intraoperative stimulation with a monopolar electrode prior to computed tomography (CT)-guided stereotactic biopsy. Stimulation at 2-100 Hz resulted in functional responses in 6/21 patients with subcortical or callosal lesions, 4/6 with basal ganglion lesions, 8/10 with thalamic and 4/4 with brainstem lesions. In all but 2 patients with mesencephalic lesions, where limited biopsy sites were available, an alternative biopsy site was used if a functional response was obtained. No morbidity was seen among these patients, although postbiopsy CT scans demonstrated small 3- to 7-mm hematomas in 5/11 patients. Retrospective review of 79 patients who underwent biopsies without stimulation demonstrated hematomas in 6/10 patients and a 3.3% transient surgical morbidity. These data indicate that postbiopsy hematomas are a relatively common occurrence, that intraoperative electrical stimulation within abnormal lesions can identify functional potential, and that avoidance of biopsies within these functional areas may be associated with reduced morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery (Neurosurgery), Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Bullard
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Makachinas
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Nashold
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006406:Hematoma / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects