Ming-Long Wu1, Geoffrey S. Young2,
Nan-Kuei Chen1
1Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Department
of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; 2Department
of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston,
MA, United States
MRI
is routinely used for stereotactic guidance and surgical preparation for deep
brain stimulation implantation. In preoperative MRI, a high contrast between
midbrain nuclei and surrounding white matter is needed for more accurate
electrode placement. Although conventional T2- and T2*-weighted imaging can
be used for visualization of midbrain nuclei, a long TE value is needed and
thus the scan time cannot be shortened. In this study, a 3D multi-echo
steady-state free precession method is used to provide superior contrast at
TE < 10ms. By further integrating SWI reconstruction and multi-echo SSFP,
a direct and highly robust visualization of midbrain nuclei can be achieved.
Keywords