Comparison of direct cortical stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation in brain tumor surgery: systematic review and meta analyses

Abstract

Introduction Brain malignancy and, at the same time central nervous system malignancy are two of the most difficult problems in the oncology field of practice. Brain tumors located near or within eloquent areas may represent another challenge toward neurosurgeon treatment. As such, electrical stimulation, either directly or through other methods, may prove necessary as proper mapping of the eloquent area thus may create a proper resection guide. Minimal resection will hopefully preserve patient neurological function and ensure patient quality of life. Methods This research is a systematic review and meta-analysis that aim to compare outcomes, primarily adverse event analysis, between direct cortical stimulation and transcortical magnetic stimulation. Results Fourteen studies were identified between 2010 and the 2023 interval. While this number is sufficient, most studies were not randomized and were not accompanied by blinding. Meta-analysis was then applied as a hypothesis test, which showed that TMS were not inferior compared to DCS in terms of motoric and lingual outcome which were marked subjectively by diamond location and objectively through a p-value above 0.05. Conclusion TMS is a noninvasive imaging method for the evaluation of eloquent brain areas that is not inferior compared to the invasive gold-standard imaging method (DCS). However its role as adjuvant to DCS and alternative only when awake surgery is not available must be emphasized.

Preoperative Cortical Mapping for Brain Tumor Surgery Using Navigated Transcranial Stimulation: Analysis of Accuracy

“…These findings are consistent with the most recent systematic review and meta-analysis, in which 8 of the 14 studies included assessed the motoric outcome comparing the two methods [19]. The nTMS were not inferior compared to DCS in terms of motoric outcome, which was marked subjectively by diamond location and objectively through a p-value exactly 0.5.…”