Dataset Information

Nearly automatic segmentation of hippocampal subfields in in vivo focal T2-weighted MRI.

ABSTRACT: We present and evaluate a new method for automatically labeling the subfields of the hippocampal formation in focal 0.4 × 0.5 × 2.0mm(3) resolution T2-weighted magnetic resonance images that can be acquired in the routine clinical setting with under 5 min scan time. The method combines multi-atlas segmentation, similarity-weighted voting, and a novel learning-based bias correction technique to achieve excellent agreement with manual segmentation. Initial partitioning of MRI slices into hippocampal 'head', 'body' and 'tail' slices is the only input required from the user, necessitated by the nature of the underlying segmentation protocol. Dice overlap between manual and automatic segmentation is above 0.87 for the larger subfields, CA1 and dentate gyrus, and is competitive with the best results for whole-hippocampus segmentation in the literature. Intraclass correlation of volume measurements in CA1 and dentate gyrus is above 0.89. Overlap in smaller hippocampal subfields is lower in magnitude (0.54 for CA2, 0.62 for CA3, 0.77 for subiculum and 0.79 for entorhinal cortex) but comparable to overlap between manual segmentations by trained human raters. These results support the feasibility of subfield-specific hippocampal morphometry in clinical studies of memory and neurodegenerative disease.

SUBMITTER: Yushkevich PA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2939190 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Nearly automatic segmentation of hippocampal subfields in in vivo focal T2-weighted MRI.

Yushkevich Paul A PA Wang Hongzhi H Pluta John J Das Sandhitsu R SR Craige Caryne C Avants Brian B BB Weiner Michael W MW Mueller Susanne S

NeuroImage 20100630 4

We present and evaluate a new method for automatically labeling the subfields of the hippocampal formation in focal 0.4 × 0.5 × 2.0mm(3) resolution T2-weighted magnetic resonance images that can be acquired in the routine clinical setting with under 5 min scan time. The method combines multi-atlas segmentation, similarity-weighted voting, and a novel learning-based bias correction technique to achieve excellent agreement with manual segmentation. Initial partitioning of MRI slices into hippocamp ...[more]

PMID: 20600984

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Project description:In patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), presurgical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often reveals hippocampal atrophy, while neuropathological assessment indicates the different types of hippocampal sclerosis (HS). Different HS types are not discriminated in MRI so far. We aimed to define the volume of each hippocampal subfield on MRI manually and to compare automatic and manual segmentations for the discrimination of HS types. The T2-weighted images from 14 formalin-fixed age-matched control hippocampi were obtained with 4.7T MRI to evaluate the volume of each subfield at the anatomical level of the hippocampal head, body, and tail. Formalin-fixed coronal sections at the level of the body of 14 control cases, as well as tissue samples from 24 TLE patients, were imaged with a similar high-resolution sequence at 3T. Presurgical three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted images from TLE went through a FreeSurfer 6.0 hippocampal subfield automatic assessment. The manual delineation with the 4.7T MRI was identified using Luxol Fast Blue stained 10-μm-thin microscopy slides, collected at every millimeter. An additional section at the level of the body from controls and TLE cases was submitted to NeuN immunohistochemistry for neuronal density estimation. All TLE cases were classified according to the International League Against Epilepsy's (ILAE's) HS classification. Manual volumetry in controls revealed that the dentate gyrus (DG)+CA4 region, CA1, and subiculum accounted for almost 90% of the hippocampal volume. The manual 3T volumetry showed that all TLE patients with type 1 HS (TLE-HS1) had lower volumes for DG+CA4, CA2, and CA1, whereas those TLE patients with HS type 2 (TLE-HS2) had lower volumes only in CA1 (p ≤ 0.038). Neuronal cell densities always decreased in CA4, CA3, CA2, and CA1 of TLE-HS1 but only in CA1 of TLE-HS2 (p ≤ 0.003). In addition, TLE-HS2 had a higher volume (p = 0.016) and higher neuronal density (p < 0.001) than the TLE-HS1 in DG + CA4. Automatic segmentation failed to match the manual or histological findings and was unable to differentiate TLE-HS1 from TLE-HS2. Total hippocampal volume correlated with DG+CA4 and CA1 volumes and neuronal density. For the first time, we also identified subfield-specific pathology patterns in the manual evaluation of volumetric MRI scans, showing the importance of manual segmentation to assess subfield-specific pathology patterns.

Project description:The accurate segmentation of in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data is a crucial prerequisite for the reliable assessment of disease progression, patient stratification or the establishment of putative imaging biomarkers. This is especially important for the hippocampal formation, a brain area involved in memory formation and often affected by neurodegenerative or psychiatric diseases. FreeSurfer, a widely used automated segmentation software, offers hippocampal subfield delineation with multiple input options. While a single T1-weighted (T1) sequence is regularly used by most studies, it is also possible and advised to use a high-resolution T2-weighted (T2H) sequence or multispectral information. In this investigation it was determined whether there are differences in volume estimations depending on the input images and which combination of these deliver the most reliable results in each hippocampal subfield. 41 healthy participants (age = 25.2 years ± 4.2 SD) underwent two structural MRIs at three Tesla (time between scans: 23 days ± 11 SD) using three different structural MRI sequences, to test five different input configurations (T1, T2, T2H, T1 and T2, and T1 and T2H). We compared the different processing pipelines in a cross-sectional manner and assessed reliability using test-retest variability (%TRV) and the dice coefficient. Our analyses showed pronounced significant differences and large effect sizes between the processing pipelines in several subfields, such as the molecular layer (head), CA1 (head), hippocampal fissure, CA3 (head and body), fimbria and CA4 (head). The longitudinal analysis revealed that T1 and multispectral analysis (T1 and T2H) showed overall higher reliability across all subfields than T2H alone. However, the specific subfields had a substantial influence on the performance of segmentation results, regardless of the processing pipeline. Although T1 showed good test-retest metrics, results must be interpreted with caution, as a standard T1 sequence relies heavily on prior information of the atlas and does not take the actual fine structures of the hippocampus into account. For the most accurate segmentation, we advise the use of multispectral information by using a combination of T1 and high-resolution T2-weighted sequences or a T2 high-resolution sequence alone.

Dataset Information

Nearly automatic segmentation of hippocampal subfields in in vivo focal T2-weighted MRI.

Publications

Nearly automatic segmentation of hippocampal subfields in in vivo focal T2-weighted MRI.

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