Published online Jul 10, 2011. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v2.i7.289
Revised: June 23, 2011
Accepted: June 30, 2011
Published online: July 10, 2011
This article provides a review of Blood Oxygen Level Dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI) applications for presurgical mapping in patients with brain tumors who are being considered for lesion resection. Initially, the physical principle of the BOLD effect is discussed, followed by a general overview of the aims of presurgical planning. Subsequently, a review of sensorimotor, language and visual paradigms that are typically utilized in clinical fMRI is provided, followed by a brief description of studies demonstrating the clinical impact of preoperative BOLD fMRI. After this thorough introduction to presurgical fMRI, a detailed explanation of the phenomenon of neurovascular uncoupling (NVU), a major limitation of fMRI, is provided, followed by a discussion of the different approaches taken for BOLD cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) mapping, which is an effective method of detecting NVU. We then include one clinical case which demonstrates the value of CVR mapping in clinical preoperative fMRI interpretation. The paper then concludes with a brief review of applications of CVR mapping other than for presurgical mapping.