Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41598270›Full record

ReviewLife (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Diffusion Tensor Imaging Biomarkers to Predict Neurological Outcomes in Brain Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Noa Ben Dor, Giovanni Sighinolfi, Vittoria Rosetti, Filippo Friso, Giada Garufi, Salvatore Massimiliano Cardali, Caterina Tonon, Raffaele Lodi, Alfredo Conti

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Noa Ben DorDepartment of Neurosurgery, IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0009-0009-8608-6418
Giovanni SighinolfiFunctional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy.
Vittoria RosettiDepartment of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Filippo FrisoDepartment of Neurosurgery, IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1333-9882
Giada GarufiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Papardo, University of Messina, 98158 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0009-0009-6324-0128
Salvatore Massimiliano CardaliDepartment of Neurosurgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Papardo, University of Messina, 98158 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0950-9140
Caterina TononDepartment of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0506-499X
Raffaele LodiDepartment of Neurosurgery, IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy.
Alfredo ContiDepartment of Neurosurgery, IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9408-2662

Funding

This work was supported by #NEXTGENERATIONEU (NGEU) and funded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR), National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), project MNESYS (PE0000006)-A multiscale integrated approach to the study of the nervous system i project MNESYS (PE0000006); (DN. 1553 11.10.2022).
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography is routinely employed in neurosurgical planning; however, the prognostic significance of quantitative DTI metrics for postoperative functional outcomes remains unclear. We conducted a PRISMA-informed systematic review of PubMed (January 2005-1 December 2025), supplemented by additional indexed sources, to synthesize the evidence on quantitative DTI measures associated with postoperative motor, language, and cognitive outcomes following intracranial surgery. Thirty-seven studies were included, primarily single-center studies, and predominantly focused on glioma surgery. Motor outcomes exhibited the most consistent associations, with reduced corticospinal tract integrity and adverse postoperative diffusion changes correlating with muscle weakness and poorer recovery. Recovery from supplementary motor area syndrome was associated with interhemispheric callosal connectivity, with greater disconnection predicting a prolonged symptom duration. Language outcomes demonstrated reproducible structure-function relationships: higher preoperative integrity of the dorsal language pathways was associated with milder postoperative aphasia and better recovery, whereas postoperative tract disruption and diffusivity changes predicted persistent naming and fluency deficits, and ventral pathway alterations were specifically linked to lexico-semantic impairment. In epilepsy surgery, language performance correlated with contralateral and distributed network diffusion changes, consistent with reorganization. Evidence for cognition and gait outcomes was limited and mainly involved the association, limbic, and callosal pathways. Overall, quantitative DTI provides clinically relevant markers of tract and network disruption and postoperative remodeling; however, methodological heterogeneity and limited external validation currently preclude universal prognostic thresholds.

Indexed as

corticospinal tract (CST)diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)fiber trackingfractional anisotropy (FA)neurosurgerysurgical outcome

Identifiers

PMID41598270
PMCPMC12843495

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.