Automated Anatomical Localization of Small Intracranial Lesions with Image Processing Based on Picture-Archiving and Communication Systems

With the use of a commercially available image-filing system, which had been implemented in the hospital for the purpose of efficient image management in neurosurgical practice, the authors developed image-processing and display techniques to identify anatomical localization of intracranial lesions. It is a method whereby the precise locations of small lesions at thalamus and basal ganglia are determined by automatically superimposing these lesions defined by magnetic resonance imaging directly on images from Schaltenbrand''s human brain atlas. This paper describes the method and some illustrative examples of clinical application of this imaging technique.