A simple method to assess accuracy of deep brain stimulation electrode placement: pre-operative stereotactic CT +
Paolo Ferroli1, Angelo Franzini, Carlo Marras
1Department of Neurosurgery, Istituto Nazionale Neurologico 'C. Besta', Milan, Italy.
Objective:
To describe a method for the measurement of the accuracy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrode placement with the use of image fusion technologies.
Patients And Methods:
Ten consecutive patients suffering from movement disorders underwent DBS electrode placement. Postoperative MR images were fused with the pre-operative stereotactic CT. The placement error in the anteroposterior, lateral and vertical planes was calculated.
Results:
The anteroposterior mean error +/- SD was 0.61 +/- 0.22 mm (range 0.2-0.9 mm). The lateral mean error +/- SD was 0.65 +/- 0.27 mm (range 0.2-2.2 mm). The vertical mean error +/- SD was 0.82 +/- 0.31 mm (range 0.3-1.6 mm).
Conclusions:
This technique provides a simple and precise method for the evaluation of the accuracy of DBS electrode placement.


