A Methodology for Systematic Volumetric Analysis of Perioperative Cranial Imaging in Neurosurgical Patients

Background Although objective assessment of perioperative imaging provides a rigorous evaluation method of neurosurgical techniques in epilepsy, its use remains far from mainstream. Open surgery remains the gold standard for treatment of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE); however, stereotactic laser ablation is a promising minimally invasive alternative. Nevertheless, the variables that may affect seizure outcome in stereotactic laser amygdalohippocampectomy (SLAH) remain unclear. While an objective endpoint such as ablated mesial temporal volumes may be significant, a standard methodology for calculating such volumes has yet to be proposed.