Oliver Speck1, Claus Tempelmann2, Julia Matzen2, Hans-Jrgen Huppertz3
1Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; 2Clinic for Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; 3Swiss Epilepsy Center, Zurich, Switzerland
Few studies have evaluated the clinical potential of very high field strength. In many epilepsy patients, localization of the underlying epileptogenic lesion is difficult if not impossible with current imaging methods. Invasive EEG recordings are frequently required to delineate the epileptogenic zone. Recently, morphometric MRI analysis based on high resolution anatomical MRI has been proposed as a promising tool for the detection of small focal cortical dysplasia, a frequent cause of pharmacoresistent focal epilepsy. The purpose of this feasibility study was to test whether high resolution whole brain anatomical imaging at 7 Tesla can be used for fully automatic morphometric MRI analysis.