Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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The use of both awake surgery and intraoperative MRI (iMRI) has been reported to optimize the maximal safe resection of gliomas. However, there has been little research into combining these two demanding procedures. We report our unique experience with, and methodology of, awake surgery in a movable iMRI system, and we quantitatively evaluate the contribution of the combination on the extent of resection (EOR) and functional outcome of patients with gliomas involving language areas. ⋯ Gross total resection was achieved in 18 patients (60.0%), and in seven of those patients (23.3%), the gross total resection could be attributed to iMRI. A total of 12 patients (40.0%) suffered from transient language deficits; however, only one (3.3%) patient developed a permanent deficit. This study demonstrates the potential utility of combining awake craniotomy with iMRI; it is safe and reliable to perform awake surgery using a movable iMRI.