Electrophysiology ‐aided DBS targeting the ventral intermediate nucleus in an essential tremor patient with MRI‐incompatible lead: A case report

We present a case of an ET patient with a non-MR-compatible cardiac orphaned leads who was a candidate for DBS surgery. Due to the lead constraints of MR use, we used a head computed tomography (CT) with contrast media as the reference exam to define the AC, PC, and midline, and to register and indirectly target the Vim. For target validation, we used intraoperative electrophysiological recordings and intraoperative CT. We implanted bilateral directional leads at the target location. We used the-essential-tremor-rating-assessment-scale (TETRAS) pre and postoperatively to clinically evaluate tremor. Intraoperative micro-electrode recordings (MERs) showed individual tremor cells and a robust increase in normalized root mean square (NRMS) indicating entry to the Vim. Postoperative visualization using lead-DBS along with dramatic clinical improvements show that we were able to accurately target the Vim. Our results show that CT-only registration and planning for thalamic Vim DBS is feasible, and that MERs and intraoperative CT are useful adjuncts for Vim target validation.

Source: Physiological Reports - October 3, 2023 Category: Physiology Authors: Stefanie Glowinsky, Hagai Bergman, Omer Zarchi, Shlomo Fireman, Johnathan Reiner, Idit Tamir Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research