Inter-method reliability between automatic region of interest analytic application with multi-atlas segmentation and
Tomohiro Utsumi1, Fumitoshi Kodaka1, Norihide Maikusa1
1Department of Psychiatry, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Summary
A new tool, T-Proto, offers reliable automated analysis of hippocampal regions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This method shows moderate to excellent reliability compared to established software, aiding clinical applications.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves progressive neurodegeneration and hippocampal atrophy, detectable via MRI.
- Current visual inspection of MRI for AD lacks objectivity and efficiency.
- Automated Region of Interest (ROI) analysis tools are needed for clinical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate T-Proto, an automated ROI analytic application using multi-atlas segmentation.
- To assess the inter-method reliability of T-Proto against FreeSurfer, a reference ROI analytic software.
Main Methods:
- Database study utilizing MRI data from 30 Alzheimer's disease patients.
- Inter-method reliability assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC).
- Post-hoc comparison conducted based on Alzheimer's disease severity.
Main Results:
- T-Proto generally estimated smaller regional volumes than FreeSurfer.
- Moderate to excellent reliability (ICC) was observed between T-Proto and FreeSurfer for regional volumes.
- Similar t-values and effect sizes were found for hippocampal analysis between the two methods.
Conclusions:
- Automated regional analysis of the hippocampus using T-Proto demonstrates reliable performance.
- T-Proto shows comparable reliability to FreeSurfer for hippocampal analysis in Alzheimer's disease patients.
