Utilization of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) for Intraoperative Naming Tasks in Awake Surgery

Abstract

The naming task, one of the most important tasks for screening essential language function, is widely used in awake surgery. We employed personal digital assistants (PDA) for the display of objects in three patients performing the naming task during awake surgery for gliomas adjacent to the language area in the left hemisphere. The compact, light-weight, self-illuminated instrument can easily be held close to the patient’s face. None had difficulty seeing the screen despite the presence of the surgical drape around the face. The examiner could easily change the displayed objects with a click. However, the PDA screen is too small for use in auditory comprehension tasks such as the Token Test.

Personal digital assistants (PDA) - naming task - language area - awake surgery

References

• 1 Berger M, Ojemann G. Techniques of functional localization during removal of tumors involving the cerebral hemisphere. In: Loftus CM, Traynelis VC (eds), Intraoperative monitoring techniques in neurosurgery. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc 1994: pp 113-127
• 2 Kayama T, Sato S. Definition of individual language related area by awake surgery.  Brain and Nerve. 2001;  53 151-160 [in Japanese]
• 3 Lesser R, Gordon B, Uematsu S. Electrical stimulation and language.  J Clin Neurophysiol. 1994;  11 191-204
• 4 Ojemann G, Ojemann J, Lettich E, Berger M. Cortical language localization in left, dominant hemisphere: an electrical stimulation mapping investigation in 117 patients.  J Neurosurg. 1989;  71 316-326
• 5 DeRenzi E, Vignolo L A. The Token Test: a sensitive test to detect receptive disturbance in aphasics.  Brain. 1962;  85 665-678