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Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Diffusion Imaging in the Rat Cervical Spinal Cord
Published on: April 7, 2015
ADC histograms from routine DWI for longitudinal studies in cerebral small vessel disease: a field study in CADASIL
Bence Gunda1, Raphael Porcher2, Marco Duering3
1Department of Neurology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Neurology, CHU Lariboisière, DHU NeuroVasc, APHP and Université Paris Denis-Diderot, Paris, France.
Insights
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram parameters show strong correlation for assessing cerebral small vessel diseases (cSVD). However, scanner upgrades significantly impact diffusion measures, requiring careful consideration for long-term studies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Radiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Cerebral small vessel diseases (cSVD) impact long-term neurological health.
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) histogram metrics are established markers for cSVD.
- The utility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram parameters from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for longitudinal cSVD assessment is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the correlation between ADC histogram parameters and DTI-derived mean diffusivity (MD) histogram parameters in CADASIL patients.
- To assess the impact of image corrections and scanner upgrades on diffusion MRI measures in cSVD.
- To determine the suitability of ADC histogram parameters from DWI for long-term cSVD monitoring.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 280 CADASIL patients underwent DWI and DTI over a 6-year period.
- Intra-class correlation and Bland-Altman plots were used to compare ADC and MD histogram parameters.
- Mixed-effects models analyzed the influence of image corrections and scanner upgrades on diffusion measures.
Main Results:
- ADC histogram parameters demonstrated strong correlation with MD histogram parameters.
- Image corrections had a minimal effect on ADC histogram parameters.
- Scanner upgrades significantly influenced diffusion measures, sometimes more than patient characteristics.
Conclusions:
- ADC histogram parameters derived from routine DWI are valuable for assessing cSVD.
- Variability introduced by scanner upgrades necessitates precise determination for longitudinal and multicenter diffusion MRI studies in cSVD.
Abstract:
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) histogram metrics are correlated with clinical parameters in cerebral small vessel diseases (cSVD). Whether ADC histogram parameters derived from simple diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) can provide relevant markers for long term studies of cSVD remains unknown. CADASIL patients were evaluated by DWI and DTI in a large cohort study over a 6-year period. ADC histogram parameters were compared to those derived from mean diffusivity (MD) histograms in 280 patients using intra-class correlation and Bland-Altman plots. Impact of image corrections applied to ADC maps was assessed and a mixed effect model was used for analyzing the effects of scanner upgrades. The results showed that ADC histogram parameters are strongly correlated to MD histogram parameters and that image corrections have only limited influence on these results. Unexpectedly, scanner upgrades were found to have major effects on diffusion measures with DWI or DTI that can be even larger than those related to patients' characteristics. These data support that ADC histograms from daily used DWI can provide relevant parameters for assessing cSVD, but the variability related to scanner upgrades as regularly performed in clinical centers should be determined precisely for longitudinal and multicentric studies using diffusion MRI in cSVD.
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