Transventricular Approach to Anterior Nucleus of Thalamus
摘要
Deep brain stimulation of the anterior nucleus (ANT-DBS) is a treatment option for refractory epilepsy. The efficacy of ANT-DBS has been demonstrated by a large-scale randomized trial (SANTE). The anterior nucleus of the thalamus has many unique features compared to movement disorder targets, including its location near the ventricular system, abundant vascular structures, and variable location with respect to standard stereotactic landmarks. These features have resulted in the exploration of different surgical approaches and targeting methods. In fact, three completely different surgical approaches have been proposed to date: frontal transventricular, frontal extraventricular, and posterior extraventricular approaches. The high number of proposed surgical methods itself reflects the complexity of targeting the ANT. This chapter focuses on the planning of ANT-DBS implantation and the surgical technique of the frontal transventricular approach to ANT.