Improved Visualization of Iron-Rich Structures in the Brain with 3D Multiecho GRE Imaging

Yunhong Shu¹, Matt A. Bernstein¹, Marsha Swatosh¹, John Huston¹, Kiaran P. McGee¹, Kendall H. Lee²

Reliable localization of subthalamic nucleus (STN) and small veins is a critical step in the surgical planning of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinsons disease. 3D MR imaging has been used to guide placement of the lead tips to the STN. A multiple-echo gradient-echo (GRE) pulse sequence can be used to acquire a set of T2*-weighted imaging volumes. There remain, however, multiple options to post-processing the 3D image sets to enhance the visualization of the STN and the small veins. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performances of several of those post-processing methods to find an optimal technique.