Deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy requires extensive patient-specific planning prior to implantation to achieve optimal clinical outcomes. Collective analysis of patient's brain images is promising in order to provide more systematic planning assistance. In this paper the design of a normalization pipeline using a group specific multi-modality iterative template creation process is presented. The focus was to compare the performance of a selection of freely available registration tools and select the best combination. The workflow was applied on 19 DBS patients with T1 and WAIR modality images available. Non-linear registrations were computed with ANTS, FNIRT and DRAMMS, using several settings from the literature. Registration accuracy was measured using single-expert labels of thalamic and subthalamic structures and their agreement across the group. The best performance was provided by ANTS using the High Variance settings published elsewhere. Neither FNIRT nor DRAMMS reached the level of performance of ANTS. The resulting normalized definition of anatomical structures were used to propose an atlas of the diencephalon region defining 58 structures using data from 19 patients.

Despite an increasing use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) the fundamental mechanisms of action remain largely unknown. Simulation of electric entities has previously been proposed for chronic DBS combined with subjective symptom evaluations, but not for intraoperative stimulation tests. The present paper introduces a method for an objective exploitation of intraoperative stimulation test data to identify the optimal implant position of the chronic DBS lead by relating the electric field simulations to the patient-specific anatomy and the clinical effects quantified by accelerometry. To illustrate the feasibility of this approach, it was applied to five patients with essential tremor bilaterally implanted in the ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM). The VIM and its neighborhood structures were preoperatively outlined in 3D on white matter attenuated inversion recovery MR images. Quantitative intraoperative clinical assessments were performed using accelerometry. Electric field simulations (n = 272) for intraoperative stimulation test data performed along two trajectories per side were set-up using the finite element method for 143 stimulation test positions. The resulting electric field isosurface of 0.2V/mm was superimposed to the outlined anatomical structures. The percentage of volume of each structure's overlap was calculated and related to the corresponding clinical improvement. The proposed concept has been successfully applied to the five patients. For higher clinical improvements, not only the VIM but as well other neighboring structures were covered by the electric field isosurfaces. The percentage of the volumes of the VIM, of the nucleus intermediate lateral of the thalamus and the prelemniscal radiations within the prerubral field of Forel increased for clinical improvements higher than 50% compared to improvements lower than 50%. The presented new concept allows a detailed and objective analysis of a high amount of intraoperative data to identify the optimal stimulation target. First results indicate agreement with published data hypothesizing that the stimulation of other structures than the VIM might be responsible for good clinical effects in essential tremor.

The success of deep brain stimulation (DBS) relies primarily on the localization of the implanted electrode. Its final position can be chosen based on the results of intraoperative microelectrode recording (MER) and stimulation tests. The optimal position often differs from the final one selected for chronic stimulation with the DBS electrode. The aim of the study was to investigate, using finite element method (FEM) modeling and simulations, whether lead design, electrical setup, and operating modes induce differences in electric field (EF) distribution and in consequence, the clinical outcome. Finite element models of a MER system and a chronic DBS lead were developed. Simulations of the EF were performed for homogenous and patient-specific brain models to evaluate the influence of grounding (guide tube vs. stimulator case), parallel MER leads, and non-active DBS contacts. Results showed that the EF is deformed depending on the distance between the guide tube and stimulating contact. Several parallel MER leads and the presence of the non-active DBS contacts influence the EF distribution. The DBS EF volume can cover the intraoperatively produced EF, but can also extend to other anatomical areas. In conclusion, EF deformations between stimulation tests and DBS should be taken into consideration as they can alter the clinical outcome.

This article describes an alternative to high-field electromagnetic tracking system, by using low consumption generator and high-performance magnetic sensors. Monotonically varying magnetic fields over three positions are created to produce magnetic field gradients, which encode each spatial point uniquely. Millimetric size sensors capable of measuring their local magnetic field with high resolution are used to sense the gradient field. Such sensors can be embedded in surgical tools, such as catheters or brain electrodes. With a low power consumption and low-field generator, the integrability of the electromagnetic system in a surgical theater is greatly enhanced. This system leads to unambiguous and orientation-independent spatial encoding with a mean absolute error of 3 mm at 42 cm from the field generator using the last generation 3-D axis magnetoresistive sensors. A calibration of the sensors was performed and leads to significant improvement in the localization over the $Z$ -axis.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established therapy for movement disorders such as essential tremor (ET). Positioning of the DBS lead in the patient’s brain is crucial for effective treatment. Extensive evaluations of improvement and adverse effects of stimulation at different positions for various current amplitudes are performed intraoperatively. However, to choose the optimal position of the lead, the information has to be “mentally” visualized and analyzed. This paper introduces a new technique called “stimulation maps,” which summarizes and visualizes the high amount of relevant data with the aim to assist in identifying the optimal DBS lead position. It combines three methods: outlines of the relevant anatomical structures, quantitative symptom evaluation, and patient-specific electric field simulations. Through this combination, each voxel in the stimulation region is assigned one value of symptom improvement, resulting in the division of stimulation region into areas with different improvement levels. This technique was applied retrospectively to five ET patients in the University Hospital in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Apart from identifying the optimal implant position, the resultant nine maps show that the highest improvement region is frequently in the posterior subthalamic area. The results demonstrate the utility of the stimulation maps in identifying the optimal implant position.