Abstract #0699

A novel strategy for automated near-real-time segmentation of the ventral-intermediate (VIM) nucleus for deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery

Francis Tyson Thomas¹, Willard Kasoff², and Manojkumar Saranathan³

¹Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States, ²Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States, ³Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States

Direct visualization of thalamic nuclei using MRI has been challenging for applications such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery for treatment of essential tremor, where the ventral intermediate (VIM) nucleus is targeted. Current methods are mainly based on Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) which is limited by low spatial resolution and distortion of EPI as well as manual post processing such as seeding specific areas to identify the cerebro thalamic tract. We have developed a novel strategy that combines a white-matter nulled MPRAGE sequence followed by fast near-real time automated segmentation of thalamic nuclei, which can be tailored for each patient for accurate targeting of the VIM nucleus.

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