American Journal of Neuroradiology 25:130-133, January 2004
© 2004 American Society of Neuroradiology
Case Report
BRAIN
Isolated Translocation of Wernickes Area to the Right Hemisphere in a 62-Year-Man with a Temporo-Parietal Glioma
a Department of Radiology, Advanced Neuroimaging Laboratory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
b Department of Neurosurgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
c Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Medical Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Andrei Holodny, Department of Radiology, Advanced Neuroimaging Laboratory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, Box 506, New York, NY 10021
Summary: We describe a case of translocation of temporo-parietal language function (Wernickes area) to the contralateral hemisphere in a right-handed patient with a left temporo-parietal glioma. This translocation was identified by functional MR imaging (fMRI) and validated by direct cortical stimulation during gross-total resection. The current case exemplifies how preoperative fMRI can identify unexpected language organization as a result of tumor growth, affording surgery to patients who may otherwise be deemed inoperable.