FMRI reveals functional cortex in a case of inconclusive Wada testing

OBJECTIVES: The intracarotid amobarbital test (Wada test) currently represents the gold standard for preoperative lateralization of hemispheric dominance. Here, we report an epileptic patient with a longstanding extended lesion of the left hemisphere showing absence of motor and speech dysfunction with left carotid amobarbital injection, but tetraplegia and speech arrest with right carotid injection interpreted as a neuroplastic shift of motor and language functions to the right hemisphere. In contrast to the Wada results, motor functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed a strong left hemispheric activation with right hand movements. METHODS: Right and left hand motor fMRI was performed. FMRI results and neurophysiological information obtained by motor and sensory evoked potential measurements were compared with the Wada test results. RESULTS: Initial interpretation of neuroplastic shifts of intrinsic left hemisphere functions to the right brain was revised after fMRI results which were confirmed by motor and sensory evoked potentials. CONCLUSION: As motor inactivation usually is thought to be the most robust feature of the Wada test, this case demonstrates that fMRI may reveal residual functional cortex in cases of inconclusive Wada results.