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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
A Comprehensive Protocol for Manual Segmentation of the Medial Temporal Lobe Structures
Published on: July 2, 2014
A reliable method for measurement and normalization of pediatric hippocampal volumes
A Obenaus1, C J Yong-Hing, K A Tong
1Department of Medical Imaging, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. obenausa@levade.usask.ca
Insights
A new magnetic resonance imaging method accurately measures pediatric hippocampal volumes. This technique aids in tracking neurological disease progression in children, particularly those with temporal lobe epilepsy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Pediatric Neurology
- Medical Imaging Analysis
Background:
- Accurate measurement of pediatric hippocampal volumes is crucial for understanding neurological conditions.
- Existing methods for hippocampal volume segmentation and normalization in children are lacking standardization and reliability.
- Temporal lobe epilepsy in children can affect hippocampal development and volume.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a robust, standardized method for segmenting, quantifying, and normalizing pediatric hippocampal volumes using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- To assess the reliability and accuracy of the developed method for clinical application in pediatric patients.
- To identify the optimal normalization strategy for accounting for age-related growth changes in pediatric hippocampi.
Main Methods:
- Development of a standardized MRI-based segmentation protocol for pediatric hippocampi.
- Prospective testing of the method on six control pediatric patients (13-60 months of age).
- Evaluation of inter- and intraobserver variability for the segmentation technique.
- Comparison of four distinct volume normalization methods, with a focus on intracranial volume estimation.
Main Results:
- The segmentation method yielded un-normalized hippocampal volumes consistent with prior research (3.85-6.38 mL).
- Segmentation method demonstrated low inter- and intraobserver variability (13.3% and 2.8%, respectively).
- Intracranial volume estimation proved to be the most effective normalization approach for pediatric hippocampal volumes, compensating for growth-related changes.
Conclusions:
- A consistent and reliable method for pediatric hippocampal MRI segmentation and normalization has been established.
- This standardized approach is suitable for time-course measurements in pediatric neurological disease studies, such as temporal lobe epilepsy.
- The findings facilitate the study of pediatric brain development and disease progression through accurate hippocampal volume analysis.
Abstract:
A robust standardized method for segmentation, quantification, and normalization of pediatric hippocampal volumes using magnetic resonance imaging is presented. The method will find application in time course measurements of hippocampal volumes in pediatric patients who suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy and was tested prospectively on six control patients (13-60 mo of age). The un-normalized hippocampal volumes obtained using our segmentation method ranged from 3.85 to 6.38 mL, in agreement with previously published results. Inter- and intraobserver variability of the segmentation method was determined to be 13.3% and 2.8%, respectively. Four different methods of volume normalization were tested. Normalization is required to adjust for age-related increases in hippocampal volume. The normalization approach that seemed to compensate best for growth-related hippocampal volume changes was based on a simple estimation of intracranial volumes. This is the first report of a consistent and reliable method for segmentation and normalization of hippocampi from pediatric patients that can be used to study the progression of neurologic diseases in children.
