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Comparing tract‐based spatial statistics and manual region‐of‐Interest labeling as diffusion analysis methods to detect white matter abnormalities in infants with hypoxic‐Ischemic encephalopathy
Author(s) -
Ly Monica T.,
Nanavati Tania U.,
Frum Christopher A.,
Pergami Paola
Publication year - 2015
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.24930
Subject(s) - medicine , white matter , region of interest , diffusion mri , nuclear medicine , fractional anisotropy , gestational age , effective diffusion coefficient , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology , pregnancy , biology , genetics
Purpose To compare manual region of interest (ROI) labeling and tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS) by their ability to detect group‐wise differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the neonatal brain. Materials and Methods Diffusion‐weighted data were obtained for nine infants with hypoxic‐ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) (six males, three females; gestational age [GA] range, 36–40 weeks; mean GA, 37.8 weeks) and 11 healthy‐control infants (10 males, 1 female; GA range, 36–40 weeks; mean GA, 38.4 weeks) at 3T. For manual ROI labeling, ROIs were drawn freehand for each subject in eight, clinically relevant brain regions. For TBSS, all FA data underwent an optimized, automated protocol for neonates. Each method was evaluated for detection of decreased FA in HIE infants, sensitivity, specificity, and variability. Results FA values from manual ROI and TBSS were strongly correlated ( r = 0.94, P < 0.0001). Both methods found decreased FA in most ROIs for HIE infants. There was no significant interaction between method and group, indicating a similar ability to detect FA differences ( F (1,19) = 0.599, P = 0.449). Sensitivity (manual: 0.709, TBSS: 0.694, 95% CI [–0.136, 0.163], P = 0.856), specificity (manual and TBSS: 0.716, 95% CI [–0.133, 0.133], P = 1), and standard error (manual: 0.009, TBSS: 0.007) were comparable. Conclusion Manual ROI labeling and TBSS are comparable methods of diffusion analysis to detect group differences in FA in the neonatal brain. J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2015;42:1689–1697.