Advanced Imaging and Direct Targeting of the Motor Thalamus and Dentato-Rubro-Thalamic Tract for Tremor: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Direct targeting methods for stereotactic neurosurgery in the treatment of essential tremor have been the subject of active research over the past decade but have not yet been systematically reviewed. We present a clinically oriented topic review based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Group guidelines. Our focus is studies using advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques (ultrahigh-field structural MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging, diffusion-tensor tractography, and functional MRI) for patient specific, in vivo identification of the ventral intermediate nucleus and the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract.

Keywords: Advanced imaging; Dentato-rubro-thalamic tract; Direct targeting; Essential tremor; Vim nucleus.