Could the Anatomic Variants of the Superior Thalamic Vein (STV) Be Considered a Possible Landmark for Target Identification in Magnetic-Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Procedures? A Pilot Study Using Susceptibility Weighted Imaging Sequences

During magnetic-resonance-guided focused ultrasound ablation of the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus (VIM) for essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD), targeting is generally performed using a standard atlas-based stereotactic approach. The purpose of our work is to evaluate the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diagnostics (Basel) 2024-07, Vol.14 (13), p.1409
Main Authors: Cammaroto, Simona, Acri, Giuseppe, Hartwig, Valentina, Morabito, Rosa, Militi, Annalisa, Smorto, Chiara, Ielo, Augusto, Bonanno, Lilla, Anfuso, Carmelo, Quartarone, Angelo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ablation
Identification
MRgFUS
Patients
Scanners
STV variants
SWI sequences
Tremor (Muscular contraction)
Ultrasonic imaging
VIM localization
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Summary:During magnetic-resonance-guided focused ultrasound ablation of the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus (VIM) for essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD), targeting is generally performed using a standard atlas-based stereotactic approach. The purpose of our work is to evaluate the anatomic variations in the venous vasculature of the thalamus in patients treated with MRgFUS, as a possible landmark for targeting. We retrospectively evaluated the relationship between the obtained thalamotomy lesion and the ipsilateral superior thalamic vein (STV). A total of 36 patients (25 ET and 11 PD) who underwent MRgFUS treatment were evaluated, and the STV was studied with susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) sequences. Based on the axial SWI images, the distance between the STV and the center of the lesion at the presumed site of the VIM was measured in follow-up MRI images one month after treatment. Statistical analysis shows that there is a correlation between the STV and the presumed site of the VIM. The STV visible in SWI could be used as an additional, real-time, and patient-specific anatomical landmark for VIM identification during MR examination and just before and during FUS treatment.
ISSN:2075-4418
2075-4418
DOI:10.3390/diagnostics14131409