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Inter subject variability and reproducibility of diffusion tensor imaging within and between different imaging
Tonny V Veenith1, Eleanor Carter, Julia Grossac
1Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|July 11, 2013
Summary
This study provides reference data on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) variability and reproducibility in healthy volunteers. DTI measurements show lower variability within sessions than between sessions, crucial for clinical studies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Medical Physics
- Radiology
Background:
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is essential for assessing brain microstructure.
- Understanding intersubject variability and measurement reproducibility is critical for reliable DTI analysis.
- Reference data is needed to interpret changes in longitudinal studies and interventional trials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish reference data for intersubject variability and reproducibility of DTI metrics.
- To quantify within-session and between-session reproducibility of DTI measurements.
- To provide data for interpreting changes in DTI in clinical and research settings.
Main Methods:
- Healthy volunteers underwent DTI on a 3T Siemens Verio scanner on two separate occasions.
- Standard structural imaging and two identical DTI sequences were acquired per session.
- Fractional anisotropy, apparent diffusion coefficient, axial, and radial diffusivity maps were generated; regions of interest were applied.
Main Results:
- Intersubject variability was generally higher than within- and between-session reproducibility.
- Within-session reproducibility (coefficient of variation) ranged from 0.9-5.5% for FA, 0.4-3.9% for ADC, 0.4-3.8% for AD, and 0.4-4.3% for RD.
- Between-session reproducibility showed slightly higher coefficients of variation than within-session, with statistically significant differences (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- This study offers valuable reference data on DTI variability and reproducibility.
- The findings highlight that DTI measurements are more reproducible within a single session compared to across different sessions.
- These data support the use of DTI in longitudinal studies and interventional trials for quantifying brain changes.
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