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Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Deep Brain Stimulation with Simultaneous fMRI in Rodents
Published on: February 15, 2014
Wide-bore 1.5 T MRI-guided deep brain stimulation surgery: initial experience and technique comparison
Karl A Sillay1, Deborah Rusy2, Laura Buyan-Dent3
1University of Wisconsin, Department of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Engineering, Madison, WI, USA; Semmes-Murphey Clinic, Memphis, TN, USA; University of Tennessee Department of Neurosurgery, Memphis, TN, USA; University of Tennessee Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Knoxville, TN, USA.
Object:
We report results of the initial experience with magnetic resonance image (MRI)-guided implantation of subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulating (DBS) electrodes at the University of Wisconsin after having employed frame-based stereotaxy with previously available MR imaging techniques and microelectrode recording for STN DBS surgeries.
Methods:
Ten patients underwent MRI-guided DBS implantation of 20 electrodes between April 2011 and March 2013. The procedure was performed in a purpose-built intraoperative MRI suite configured specifically to allow MRI-guided DBS, using a wide-bore (70 cm) MRI system. Trajectory guidance was accomplished with commercially available system consisting of an MR-visible skull-mounted aiming device and a software guidance system processing intraoperatively acquired iterative MRI scans.
Results:
A total of 10 patients (5 male, 5 female)-representative of the Parkinson Disease (PD) population-were operated on with standard technique and underwent 20 electrode placements under MRI-guided bilateral STN-targeted DBS placement. All patients completed the procedure with electrodes successfully placed in the STN. Procedure time improved with experience.
Conclusion:
Our initial experience confirms the safety of MRI-guided DBS, setting the stage for future investigations combining physiology and MRI guidance. Further follow-up is required to compare the efficacy of the MRI-guided surgery cohort to that of traditional frame-based stereotaxy.
