Post-implantation 3-T MRI in patients with an epicranial stimulation device: image quality and deep learning-based electrode reconstruction
- 1Division of Medical Physics, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freib
Abstract
We evaluated structural and functional MRI at 3 T in five patients with an implanted EASEE focal cortex stimulation system and assessed MRI-only electrode reconstruction. Image quality was evaluated visually and by comparing implant-centered and control regions using structural GM/WM signal ratios, GE-EPI signal intensity, T2*, and relative off-resonance. A deep learning pipeline trained exclusively on synthetic data estimated electrode position from T1-weighted MPRAGE images. Structural and functional acquisitions were completed in all patients without scan-related adverse events. Structural images showed clear intracranial anatomy beneath the implant without visually apparent local signal loss or distortion. GE-EPI reference images and derived maps showed no consistent local disturbance corresponding to the electrode. GE-EPI signal was numerically lower in implant-centered regions, but no imaging metric differed significantly between regions (all p > 0.05). Electrode reconstructions were anatomically plausible in all patients, with patient-specific median central electrode-to-cortical gray-matter distances ranging from 9 to 20 mm. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of post-implantation structural and functional MRI and MRI-only estimation of electrode-cortex geometry, although localization accuracy remains unvalidated. This combination provides a basis for future studies integrating patient-specific electrode geometry, electric-field modeling, and functional connectivity analyses in focal cortex stimulation with the EASEE system.
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BibTeX
@misc{schwaderlapp2026postimplantation,
title = {{Post-implantation 3-T MRI in patients with an epicranial stimulation device: image quality and deep learning-based electrode reconstruction}},
author = {N. Schwaderlapp and A. Barghoorn and S. Kalousios and M. Duempelmann and E. Martinez-Lizana and N. Zabler and B. Steinhoff and V. Dinkelacker and M. Zaitsev and A. Schulze-Bonhage},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.27.26366576},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.27.26366576v1},
note = {CC BY-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Post-implantation 3-T MRI in patients with an epicranial stimulation device: image quality and deep learning-based electrode reconstruction
AU - N. Schwaderlapp
AU - A. Barghoorn
AU - S. Kalousios
AU - M. Duempelmann
AU - E. Martinez-Lizana
AU - N. Zabler
AU - B. Steinhoff
AU - V. Dinkelacker
AU - M. Zaitsev
AU - A. Schulze-Bonhage
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.27.26366576
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.27.26366576v1
AB - We evaluated structural and functional MRI at 3 T in five patients with an implanted EASEE focal cortex stimulation system and assessed MRI-only electrode reconstruction. Image quality was evaluated visually and by comparing implant-centered and control regions using structural GM/WM signal ratios, GE-EPI signal intensity, T2*, and relative off-resonance. A deep learning pipeline trained exclusively on synthetic data estimated electrode position from T1-weighted MPRAGE images. Structural and functional acquisitions were completed in all patients without scan-related adverse events. Structural images showed clear intracranial anatomy beneath the implant without visually apparent local signal loss or distortion. GE-EPI reference images and derived maps showed no consistent local disturbance corresponding to the electrode. GE-EPI signal was numerically lower in implant-centered regions, but no imaging metric differed significantly between regions (all p > 0.05). Electrode reconstructions were anatomically plausible in all patients, with patient-specific median central electrode-to-cortical gray-matter distances ranging from 9 to 20 mm. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of post-implantation structural and functional MRI and MRI-only estimation of electrode-cortex geometry, although localization accuracy remains unvalidated. This combination provides a basis for future studies integrating patient-specific electrode geometry, electric-field modeling, and functional connectivity analyses in focal cortex stimulation with the EASEE system.
ER -