Crossed aphasia elicited by intraoperative cortical and subcortical stimulation in awake patients.
OBJECTIVE
Crossed aphasia (aphasia resulting from a right hemispheric lesion among right-handed patients) is rare. The authors describe for the first time transient crossed aphasia elicited by intraoperative electrostimulation of both cortex and white matter pathways in awake patients.


METHODS
Three right-handed adults underwent surgery for a right-sided glioma. Because slight language disorders occurred during partial seizures or were identified on preoperative cognitive assessment, with right activations detected on language functional MR imaging in 1 patient, awake craniotomy was performed using intraoperative cortico-subcortical electrical functional mapping.


RESULTS
Transient language disturbances were elicited by stimulating discrete cortical areas (inferior frontal gyrus and posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus) and white matter pathways (inferior frontooccipital fasciculus and arcuate fasciculus). A subtotal resection was achieved in all cases, according to functional boundaries. Postoperatively, 1 patient experienced a transient dysphasia, which resolved after speech rehabilitation, with no permanent deficit.


CONCLUSIONS
These original findings highlight the possibility of finding crucial cortico-subcortical language networks in the right hemisphere in a subgroup of atypical right-handed patients. These findings provide new insights into the neural basis of language, by underlining the role of the right inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus in semantics and that of the right arcuate fasciculus in phonology, and by supporting the hypothesis of a mirror organization between the right and left hemispheres. The authors suggest that, in right-handed patients, if language disturbances are detected during seizures or on presurgical neuropsychological assessment, especially when right activations are observed on language functional MR imaging, awake craniotomy with intraoperative language mapping should be considered.
Vassal
Matthieu
M
Department of Neurosurgery, Hôpital Gui de Chauliac, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Montpellier, France.
Le Bars
Emmanuelle
E
Moritz-Gasser
Sylvie
S
Menjot
Nicolas
N
Duffau
Hugues
H
D000328:Adult; D001037:Aphasia / Q000209:etiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012640:Seizures / Q000150:complications*; D014851:Wakefulness