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Comprehensive brain analysis with automated high‐resolution magnetization transfer measurements
Author(s) -
Wu Ying,
Du Hongyan,
Storey Pippa,
Glielmi Christopher,
Malone Fiona,
Sidharthan Shawn,
Ragin Ann,
Tofts Paul S.,
Edelman Robert R.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.22835
Subject(s) - imaging phantom , magnetization transfer , intraclass correlation , nuclear medicine , region of interest , computer science , automated method , reproducibility , biomedical engineering , artificial intelligence , mathematics , medicine , radiology , magnetic resonance imaging , statistics
Purpose: To enhance the reliability and spatial resolution of magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) measurements for interrogation of subcortical brain regions with an automated volume of interest (VOI) approach. Materials and Methods: A 3D magnetization transfer (MT) sequence was acquired using a scan‐rescan imaging protocol in nine healthy volunteers. VOI definition masks for the MTR measurements were generated using FreeSurfer and compared to a manual region of interest (ROI) approach. (The longitudinal stability of MTR was monitored using agar gel phantom over a 5‐month period.) Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), coefficients of variation (CVs), and instrumental standard deviation (ISD) were determined. Results: CVs ranged from 1.29%–2.64% (automated) vs. 1.30%–3.40% (manual). ISDs ranged from 0.62–1.10 pu (automated) vs. 0.68–1.67 pu (manual). The SD of the running difference was 1.70% for the phantom scans. The Bland–Altman method indicated interchangeability of the automated VOI and manual ROI measurements. Conclusion: The automated VOI approach for MTR measurement yielded higher ICCs, lower CVs, and lower ISDs compared to the manual method, supporting the utility of this strategy. These results demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining reliable MTR measurements in hippocampus and other critical subcortical regions. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;309‐317. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.