Image-guided TMS is safe in a predominately pediatric clinical population

Abstract

Objective: The safety of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been previously evaluated in healthy volunteers and clinical adult populations. We sought to fill the gap in safety of TMS functional mapping in a clinical, predominately pediatric cohort.

Methods: In a retrospective chart review, we assessed TMS motor and language mapping studies in persons with epilepsy or brain tumor for adverse events and safety of TMS, and in patients with cranial metal.

Results: Out of 500 TMS sessions attempted in 429 individual patients (51% males, 82% ≤ 18 y), seizures occurred in 29 sessions (5.8%) during or after TMS with semiology consistent with their typical presentation and 53 patients (10.6%) experienced pain during stimulation. TMS was completed safely in 276 patients with cranial metal.

Conclusions: Most TMS-related adverse events were benign and transient; the most serious safety events were seizures that could not be conclusively attributed to TMS. However, useful mapping results were obtained in almost all patients. Presence of cranial metal did not adversely affect TMS mapping. We show that TMS functional mapping is safe in a largely pediatric clinical cohort.

Significance: This study demonstrates the safety of TMS functional mapping in patients with refractory epilepsy, brain tumor or cranial metal and fills a gap in knowledge for TMS safety in pediatric clinical population.

Keywords: Adverse events; Brain tumor; Children; Epilepsy; Language mapping; Motor mapping; Safety; Seizures; Transcranial magnetic stimulation.