Tracking the language pathways in edema patients: Preliminary results

Abstract

The tractability and integrity of fiber tracts within an edema, and the functional roles of long-range fiber tracts during language processing are discussed controversially. We studied the dorsal and ventral language fiber tracts of patients initially presenting with a peritumoral edema in both their pre- and postoperative states. Here, we report preliminary results of three patients. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based fiber tracking was performed. We were successful in locating the tracts in the presence of edema by lowering the fractional anisotropy (FA) threshold for streamline tractography. Moreover, the affected tracts demonstrated recovery after edema treatment and neurosurgery, both in terms of tractability and cognitive function.