Integration of three-dimensional corticospinal tractography into treatment planning for gamma knife surgery

OBJECT: In the radiosurgical treatment of critically located lesions, the effort to minimize the risk of complication is essential. In this study the integration of diffusion-tensor (DT) imaging-based tractography was clinically applied to treatment planning for gamma knife surgery (GKS). METHODS: Seven patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations located adjacent to the corticospinal tract (CST) underwent this technique. Data provided by DT imaging were acquired before the frame was affixed to the patient's head and the CST of the DT tractography was created using our original software. Stereotactic three-dimensional imaging studies were obtained after frame fixation and then coregistered with the data from DT tractography. After image fusion of the two studies, the combined images were transported to a GKS treatment-planning workstation. The spatial relationship between the dose distribution and the CST was clearly demonstrated within the 2 hours it took to complete the entire imaging process. The univariate logistic regression analysis of transient or permanent motor complications revealed a significant independent correlation with the volume of the CST that received 25 Gy or more and with a maximum dose to the CST (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The integration of DT tractography into the GKS treatment planning was highly useful in confirming the dose to the CST during treatment planning.