Dominant Temporo-Basal Glioblastoma with Rapid Progressive Aphasia: Venous-Anchored Maximal Safe Resection and Quantified Language Recovery

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Background and Clinical Significance: Modern neuro-oncologists encounter a major challenge when dealing with glioblastomas located in the dominant hemisphere’s temporo-basal area, because their invasive nature disrupts the proximity to eloquent cortical areas (language and speech), as well as skull base venous structures, which can lead to a quick decline in function from the disruptions in these networks and the disconnection of corridor-level pathways. This manuscript illustrates the application of metric-based phenotyping, anatomically defined imaging, and venous-anchored microsurgical techniques that can aid in preserving the remaining functional reserve in patients with dominant hemisphere glioblastomas and demonstrate measurable outcomes through longitudinal follow-up data. Case Presentation: A 48-year-old right-handed male patient presented with a four-week history of progressively worsening symptoms consistent with a dominant hemisphere syndrome, resulting in a significant decrease in his independence (mRS 0 → 4; BI 55/100; IADL 2/8). His symptoms included non-fluent expressive aphasia with a marked inability to generate words and respond to verbal cues (BNT 8/30; SF 4 WPM). Additionally, he experienced prolonged lateralizing hemisensory decompensation and corticospinal tract dysfunction. Imaging studies revealed a large multiloculated cystic lesion located in the left temporo-basal region. The lesion displayed a thick irregular peripheral enhancement pattern with mural nodules and septa, and surrounding T2 hyperintensity extending into the temporal associative white matter, indicating disruption of the lexical–semantic networks and corridor-level tracts. Utilizing continuous SSEPS/MEPs during surgery, a skull base parallel ventral temporal corridor was developed to allow decompression of the cyst first, followed by cyst evacuation, inside-out cytoreduction, subpial dissection, and specific preservation of both superficial and deep temporal veins using selective capsular preservation at venous interface locations where necessary. Postoperative CT scans performed on POD #3 and POD #7 indicated stable decompression without hemorrhage or hydrocephalus complications, followed by rapid quantitative improvement in NIHSS (8 → 2), MoCA (18 → 26), BNT (8 → 26), SF (4 → 12), mRS (2 at discharge, 1 at follow-up), BI (85 at discharge, 95 at follow-up), and IADL (6/8 at discharge, 8/8 at follow-up). Histopathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of glioblastoma. Conclusions: This case study supports a model of a network- and vein-constrained glioblastoma of the dominant hemisphere in the temporo-basal region that can result in substantial restoration of language capabilities and preservation of functional reserves for additional therapies using venous-anchored subpial microsurgical approaches. The use of objective and quantifiable measures of phenotyping and longitudinal follow-up tracking could provide a reproducible method for measuring the degree of recovery of the affected network(s) and establishing safe boundaries for temporal glioma surgery.

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