Microelectrode recording and macrostimulation in thalamic and subthalamic MRI guided stereotactic surgery

Stereotactic neurosurgery alms at placing therapeutic lesions or chronic st imulating electrodes at very precise locations within the brain. Microelect rode recording and macrostimulation are used in addition to anatomo-radiolo gical techniques to optimize targeting. Recently, the usefulness of electro physiological procedures has been questioned. Based on more than 500 therap eutic stereotactic lesions in the last 10 years at the thalamic and subthal amic levels, we evaluate here retrospectively the utility of the two electr ophysiological procedures. In two of the three stereotactic targets conside red in this study, intraoperative electrophysiological confirmation is mand atory because of the target size with respect to interindividual anatomical variations and of the more or less close vicinity of eloquent structures. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.