Intraoperative subcortico-cortical evoked potentials of the visual pathway under general anesthesia

•Optic tract mapping was found feasible.•Early latency waveform P1 was in agreement with the conduction velocity of myelinated fibers.•Middle latency waveform P2 could be attributed to activation of secondary visual cortices. To assess whether intraoperative subcortical mapping of the visual pathways during brain surgeries was feasible. Subcortico-cortical evoked potentials (SCEPs: 30 stimulations/site, biphasic single pulse, 1.3 Hz, 0.2 ms/phase, maximum 10 mA; bipolar probe) were measured in 12 patients for stimulation of the optic radiation, Meyer’s loop or optic nerve. Recorded sites were bilateral central, parietal, parieto-occipital, occipital (subdermal scalp electrodes, 5–4000 Hz). The minimum distances from the stimulation locations, i.e. the closest border of the resection cavity to the diffusion tensor imaging based visual pathways, were evaluated postoperatively (smallest distance across coronal, sagittal and axial planes). Stimulation elicited SCEPs when the visual tracts were close (≤4.5 mm). The responses consisted of a short (P1, 3.0–5.6 ms; 8/8 patients) and of a middle (P2, 15–21.6 ms; 3/8 patients) latency waveforms. In agreement with the neuroanatomy, ipsilateral occipital responses were obtained for temporal or parietal stimulations, and bi-occipital responses for optic nerve stimulations. For the first time to our knowledge, intraoperative SCEPs were observed for stimulations of the optic radiation and of Meyer’s loop. Short latency responses were found in agreement with fast conduction of the visual pathway’s connecting myelinated fibers. The mapping of the visual pathways was found feasible for neurosurgeries under general anesthesia.