Selective Mapping of Deep Brain Stimulation Lead Currents Using Acoustoelectric Imaging.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a crucial therapy for neurological disorders.
• Accurate monitoring of DBS device function is essential for patient safety and treatment efficacy.
• Current methods for assessing DBS lead performance are often invasive or indirect.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a novel non-invasive acoustoelectric imaging (AEI) technique.
• To demonstrate AEI's capability in mapping the location, magnitude, and polarity of currents from a clinical DBS device.
• To assess AEI's performance through human skullbone, simulating in-vivo conditions.

Main Methods:

• Focused 1MHz ultrasound was applied near the DBS device during current pulse injection.
• A recording electrode detected the high-frequency acoustoelectric interaction signal.
• Linear scanning of the ultrasound beam generated real-time images of induced current distribution.

Main Results:

• AEI precisely localized DBS leads with an accuracy of 0.70mm.
• The technique achieved a detection threshold of 1.75mA and sensitivity of 0.52 ± 0.07 μV/(mA*MPa).
• Even with 13.8-dB ultrasound attenuation through a human skullcap, AEI signals remained >10dB above background.

Conclusions:

• Non-invasive acoustoelectric imaging shows significant promise for selective current mapping in DBS devices.
• This technology could enable real-time, precise monitoring of DBS lead performance.
• AEI represents a potential advancement in the clinical management of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation therapy.