Dataset Information

ZOOM or Non-ZOOM? Assessing Spinal Cord Diffusion Tensor Imaging Protocols for Multi-Centre Studies.

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate two spinal cord (SC) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) protocols, implemented at multiple sites (using scanners from two different manufacturers), one available on any clinical scanner, and one using more advanced options currently available in the research setting, and to use an automated processing method for unbiased quantification. DTI parameters are sensitive to changes in the diseased SC. However, imaging the cord can be technically challenging due to various factors including its small size, patient-related and physiological motion, and field inhomogeneities. Rapid acquisition sequences such as Echo Planar Imaging (EPI) are desirable but may suffer from image distortions. We present a multi-centre comparison of two acquisition protocols implemented on scanners from two different vendors (Siemens and Philips), one using a reduced field-of-view (rFOV) EPI sequence, and one only using options available on standard clinical scanners such as outer volume suppression (OVS). Automatic analysis was performed with the Spinal Cord Toolbox for unbiased and reproducible quantification of DTI metrics in the white matter. Images acquired using the rFOV sequence appear less distorted than those acquired using OVS alone. SC DTI parameter values obtained using both sequences at all sites were consistent with previous measurements made at 3T. For the same scanner manufacturer, DTI parameter inter-site SDs were smaller for the rFOV sequence compared to the OVS sequence. The higher inter-site reproducibility (for the same manufacturer and acquisition details, i.e. ZOOM data acquired at the two Philips sites) of rFOV compared to the OVS sequence supports the idea that making research options such as rFOV more widely available would improve accuracy of measurements obtained in multi-centre clinical trials. Future multi-centre studies should also aim to match the rFOV technique and signal-to-noise ratios in all sequences from different manufacturers/sites in order to avoid any bias in measured DTI parameters and ensure similar sensitivity to pathological changes.

SUBMITTER: Samson RS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4865165 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

ZOOM or Non-ZOOM? Assessing Spinal Cord Diffusion Tensor Imaging Protocols for Multi-Centre Studies.

Samson Rebecca S RS Lévy Simon S Schneider Torben T Smith Alex K AK Smith Seth A SA Cohen-Adad Julien J Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott Claudia A M CA

PloS one 20160512 5

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate two spinal cord (SC) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) protocols, implemented at multiple sites (using scanners from two different manufacturers), one available on any clinical scanner, and one using more advanced options currently available in the research setting, and to use an automated processing method for unbiased quantification. DTI parameters are sensitive to changes in the diseased SC. However, imaging the cord can be technically challe ...[more]

PMID: 27171194

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Project description:BackgroundTo investigate the effect of using a Rician nonlocal means (NLM) filter on quantification of diffusion tensor (DT)- and diffusion kurtosis (DK)-derived metrics in various anatomical regions of the human brain and the spinal cord, when combined with a constrained linear least squares (CLLS) approach.MethodsProspective brain data from 9 healthy subjects and retrospective spinal cord data from 5 healthy subjects from a 3 T MRI scanner were included in the study. Prior to tensor estimation, registered diffusion weighted images were denoised by an optimized blockwise NLM filter with CLLS. Mean kurtosis (MK), radial kurtosis (RK), axial kurtosis (AK), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), axial diffusivity (AD) and fractional anisotropy (FA), were determined in anatomical structures of the brain and the spinal cord. DTI and DKI metrics, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and Chi-square values were quantified in distinct anatomical regions for all subjects, with and without Rician denoising.ResultsThe averaged SNR significantly increased with Rician denoising by a factor of 2 while the averaged Chi-square values significantly decreased up to 61% in the brain and up to 43% in the spinal cord after Rician NLM filtering. In the brain, the mean MK varied from 0.70 (putamen) to 1.27 (internal capsule) while AK and RK varied from 0.58 (corpus callosum) to 0.92 (cingulum) and from 0.70 (putamen) to 1.98 (corpus callosum), respectively. In the spinal cord, FA varied from 0.78 in lateral column to 0.81 in dorsal column while MD varied from 0.91 × 10-3 mm2/s (lateral) to 0.93 × 10-3 mm2/s (dorsal). RD varied from 0.34 × 10-3 mm2/s (dorsal) to 0.38 × 10-3 mm2/s (lateral) and AD varied from 1.96 × 10-3 mm2/s (lateral) to 2.11 × 10-3 mm2/s (dorsal).ConclusionsOur results show a Rician denoising NLM filter incorporated with CLLS significantly increases SNR and reduces estimation errors of DT- and KT-derived metrics, providing the reliable metrics estimation with adequate SNR levels.

Dataset Information

ZOOM or Non-ZOOM? Assessing Spinal Cord Diffusion Tensor Imaging Protocols for Multi-Centre Studies.

Publications

ZOOM or Non-ZOOM? Assessing Spinal Cord Diffusion Tensor Imaging Protocols for Multi-Centre Studies.

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