Structured Evaluation of Glioma Patients by an Occupational Therapist—Is Our Clinical Examination Enough?

Background Preservation of neurologic function is mandatory when offering a surgical intervention to patients with low-grade gliomas (LGGs), given that the goal of any treatment is the patient's return to their normal everyday life. Objective To determine whether a structured evaluation by an occupational therapist can reveal deficits that might be overseen in routine clinical examination of patients with a surgically treated LGG. Methods A total of 20 patients with radiographically suspected LGG were examined in a standardized fashion at 3 stages: preoperatively, postoperatively, and 3 months thereafter. Results were analyzed descriptively. Results A total of 19 patients (95%) showed no postoperative motor deficit; one suffered from akinesia due to supplementary motor area involvement and demonstrated a transient deficit with manifestation on the first postoperative day. Patients with eloquent LGGs, involving speech ( n  = 6, 30%), exhibited different transient speech disturbances according to the location of the lesion. Structured testing revealed a postoperative worsening of movement mirroring (upper extremity) and finger discrimination (sensory) in 5 of 20 patients (25%). Force meter evaluation of the upper extremity was decreased significantly postoperatively for the affected hemisphere, even though motor deficits were absent in most patients. The action research arm test detected deterioration in more than one half of the patients postoperatively. Patients recovered from these deficits within the first 3 months. Conclusions Routine clinical examination and neuropsychological evaluation fail to detect mild deficits in sensory function, reactivity, and apraxia, which may have a serious impact on patients' ability to return to their normal lives and work.