title: Application of magnetic resonance imaging in functional stereotactic thalamotomy for the evaluation of individual variations of the thalamus.
abstract: An application of MRI in functional stereotactic thalamotomy is presented. To estimate the individual anatomic variations of the thalamus prior to stereotactic thalamotomy, a special study using a proton density image that shows myeloarchitectonic features of the thalamus was performed. The proton density MRI was demonstrated to be very useful to determine the safest trajectory and tentative target point. However, as a detailed functional localization of the thalamic subnuclei cannot be yet obtained by MRI, the final target should be decided on the basis of electrophysiological findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gunma University, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirato
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ohye
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D013788:Thalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014202:Tremor / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*