Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an effective surgical option for intractable epilepsy. Although the surgical procedure is not so complicated, vagus nerve detection is sometimes difficult due to its anatomical variations, which may lead to surgical manipulation-associated complications. Thus, this study aimed to visualize the vagus nerve location preoperatively by fused images of three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (3D-CTA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This technique was applied to two cases. The neck 3D-CTA and MRI were performed, and the fused images were generated using the software. The vagus nerve and its anatomical relationship with the internal jugular vein (IJV) and common carotid artery were clearly visualized. The authors predicted that the vagus nerve was detected by laterally pulling the IJV according to the images. Intraoperatively, the vagus nerve was located as the authors predicted. The time of the surgery until the vagus nerve detection was <60 min in both cases. This novel radiological technique for visualizing the vagus nerve is effective to quickly detect the vagus nerve, which has anatomical variations, during the VNS.
Keywords: 3D-CTA; MRI; VNS; fusion images; vagus nerve visualization.