Comparison of Thalamus Volume on Magnetic Resonance and Cadaveric Section Images

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the volume of the thalamus obtained from the radiological and anatomical sections and evaluate the results in terms of deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedures.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: 13 brain cadavers were used in this study. First, images were taken in 2 mm sections by skipping 1 mm on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the tickness of the thalamus was measured. Subsequently, 4 mm thick coronal sections were prepared with a microtome. The thalamus volume calculated from cadaveric specimens, was compared with that measured by MRI.

RESULTS: On MRI, the mean thalamus volume on the right and left sides was 5843.4 ± 361.6 mm3 and 5377.0 ± 666.2 mm3 respectively. The mean volume on the cadaveric section was 5610.8 ± 401.3 mm3 on the right side and 5618.5 ± 604.1 mm3 on the left side. No statistically significant difference was found between the volume calculated from MRI and that obtained from the cadaveric section (P 0.001).

CONCLUSION: This study shows a correlation between measurement of thalamus volume based on MRI and those calculated from anatomical sections. Our findings support the reliability of DBS procedures using MRI.