Optical measurements in brain tissue during radio frequency lesioning

• Radio frequency (RF) lesioning is a well well-known procedure within the field of stereotactic neurosurgery, commonly used for the treatment of movement disorders. During the intervention, an RF-electrode is inserted into the deeper parts of the brain, where a small volume of malfunctioning brain tissue will be coagulated. This procedure is irreversible, as a result, the size and position of the created lesion is crucial in order to avoid unwanted side effects. In this thesis a further development of the RF-technology is presented in order to follow a lesioning process and to estimate the created lesion size. Software, electronics, fiber optics and an RF-electrode equipped with optical fibers was developed and evaluated.Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurements at 450-800 nm in the central gray of porcine brain have been performed with the developed RF-electrode. Measurements of white and gray brain matter showed a large reflectance difference in the investigated wavelength interval, with higher reflectivity for white brain matter. Reflectance differences between native and coagulated, white and gray brain matter were also found .In-vitro laser Doppler perfusion monitoring measurements at 633 nm have also been performed in a newly designed flow model. An albumin solution with added glass microspheres was placed on top of a revolving disc. The motion of the liquid surrounding the electrode tip simulated a perfusion situation. Changes in both laser Doppler perfusion and total backscattered light intensity signals were collected during the creation of different sized coagulations. The volume, width and length of the created coagulations are correlated to the measured signal changes in-vitro, where larger coagulations displayed larger signal changes. The laser Doppler perfusion and backscattered light intensity signals can be used to follow the lesioning time course and estimate the developed lesion size in-vitro.

Nyckelord

MEDICINE

MEDICIN

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

lic (ämneskategori)