Automatic localization of Deep Stimulation Electrodes using trajectory-based segmentation approach

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative condition of thenervous system, which manifests itself primarily as muscle stiness, hypokinesia,bradykinesia, and tremor. In patients suering from advancedstages of PD, Deep Brain Stimulation neurosurgery (DBS) is the bestalternative to medical treatment, especially when they become tolerantto the drugs. This surgery produces a neuronal activity, a result of electricalstimulation, whose quantication is known as Volume of TissueActivated (VTA). To locate the VTA correctly in the cerebral volumespace, one should be aware of exactly the location on the tip of the DBSelectrodes, as well as their spatial projection.In this paper, we automatically locate DBS electrodes using a thresholdbasedmedical imaging segmentation methodology, determining the optimalvalue of this threshold adaptively. The proposed method allows thelocalization of DBS electrodes in Computed Tomography (CT) images,with high noise tolerance, using automatic threshold detection methods.