• Angela M Noecker, Ki Sueng Choi, Patricio Riva-Posse, Robert E Gross, Helen S Mayberg, and Cameron C McIntyre.
• Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
• Neuromodulation. 2018 Feb 1; 21 (2): 191-196.

ObjectiveCreate a software tool to facilitate tractography-based deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrode targeting within the patient-specific stereotactic coordinate system used in the operating room.ApproachStimVision was developed with Visualization Toolkit libraries and integrates four major components: 1) medical image visualization, 2) tractography visualization, 3) DBS electrode positioning, and 4) DBS activation volume calculation with tractography intersection.ResultsInitial applications of StimVision are focused on the study of subcallosal cingulate (SCC) DBS for the treatment of depression. Retrospective modeling results on SCC DBS have suggested that direct stimulation of a specific collection of tractographic pathways are necessary for therapeutic benefit; thereby creating a tractography-based DBS surgical targeting hypotheses. StimVision is the tool we created to facilitate prospective clinical evaluation of that hypothesis.SignificanceRetrospective tractography-based analyses are common in DBS research; however, intraoperative software tools for interactive selection of a tractography-based DBS target are not readily available. StimVision provides an academic research tool to assist clinical implementation of new DBS targeting strategies and postoperative evaluation of targeting outcome.© 2017 International Neuromodulation Society.

22 keywords...

hide…