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Detection of cerebral microbleeds with quantitative susceptibility mapping in the ArcAbeta mouse model of cerebral
Jan Klohs1, Andreas Deistung, Ferdinand Schweser
1Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. klohs@biomed.ee.ethz.ch
Abstract:
Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are findings in patients with neurological disorders such as cerebral amyloid angiopathy and Alzheimer's disease, and are indicative of an underlying vascular pathology. A diagnosis of CMBs requires an imaging method that is capable of detecting iron-containing lesions with high sensitivity and spatial accuracy in the presence of potentially confounding tissue abnormalities. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of quantitative magnetic susceptibility mapping (QSM), a novel technique based on gradient-recalled echo (GRE) phase data, for the detection of CMBs in the arcAβ mouse, a mouse model of cerebral amyloidosis. Quantitative susceptibility maps were generated from phase data acquired with a high-resolution T(2)(*)-weighted GRE sequence at 9.4 T. We examined the influence of different regularization parameters on susceptibility computation; a proper adjustment of the regularization parameter minimizes streaking artifacts and preserves fine structures. In the present study, it is shown that QSM provides increased detection sensitivity of CMBs and improved contrast when compared with GRE magnitude imaging. Furthermore, QSM corrects for the blooming effect observed in magnitude and phase images and depicts both the localization and spatial extent of CMBs with high accuracy. Therefore, QSM may become an important tool for diagnosing CMBs in neurological diseases.
Insights
Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) enhances the detection of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), crucial markers of vascular issues in neurological disorders. This advanced MRI technique offers superior sensitivity and accuracy for identifying CMBs compared to traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Biomedical Engineering
- Radiology
Background:
- Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are indicative of vascular pathology in neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease.
- Accurate detection of CMBs requires sensitive imaging techniques capable of resolving iron-containing lesions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) for detecting CMBs.
- To evaluate QSM's performance in the arcAβ mouse model of cerebral amyloidosis.
Main Methods:
- Generated quantitative susceptibility maps using high-resolution T(2)(*)-weighted gradient-recalled echo (GRE) phase data at 9.4T.
- Analyzed the impact of regularization parameters on susceptibility computation to minimize artifacts.
- Compared QSM with GRE magnitude imaging for CMB detection.
Main Results:
- QSM demonstrated increased sensitivity and improved contrast for CMB detection compared to GRE magnitude imaging.
- QSM effectively corrected the blooming artifact seen in GRE magnitude and phase images.
- QSM accurately depicted the localization and spatial extent of CMBs.
Conclusions:
- QSM offers enhanced detection and characterization of cerebral microbleeds.
- QSM's ability to correct artifacts and provide accurate localization makes it a promising tool for diagnosing CMBs in neurological diseases.
