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Updated: Jul 9, 2025
Diffusion Imaging in the Rat Cervical Spinal Cord
Published on: April 7, 2015
Histogram analysis of mono-exponential, bi-exponential and stretched-exponential diffusion-weighted MR imaging in
Lingmin Zheng1, Peirong Jiang1, Danjie Lin1
1Department of Radiology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, China.
Background:
The consistency of meningiomas is critical to determine surgical planning and has a significant impact on surgical outcomes. Our aim was to compare mono-exponential, bi-exponential and stretched exponential MR diffusion-weighted imaging in predicting the consistency of meningiomas before surgery.
Methods:
Forty-seven consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed meningiomas were prospectively enrolled in this study. Two senior neurosurgeons independently evaluated tumour consistency and classified them into soft and hard groups. A volume of interest was placed on the preoperative MR diffusion images to outline the whole tumour area. Histogram parameters (mean, median, 10th percentile, 90th percentile, kurtosis, skewness) were extracted from 6 different diffusion maps including ADC (DWI), D*, D, f (IVIM), alpha and DDC (SEM). Comparisons between two groups were made using Student's t-Test or Mann-Whitney U test. Parameters with significant differences between the two groups were included for Receiver operating characteristic analysis. The DeLong test was used to compare AUCs.
Results:
DDC, D* and ADC 10th percentile were significantly lower in hard tumours than in soft tumours (P ≤ 0.05). The alpha 90th percentile was significantly higher in hard tumours than in soft tumours (P < 0.02). For all histogram parameters, the alpha 90th percentile yielded the highest AUC of 0.88, with an accuracy of 85.10%. The D* 10th percentile had a relatively higher AUC value, followed by the DDC and ADC 10th percentile. The alpha 90th percentile had a significantly greater AUC value than the ADC 10th percentile (P ≤ 0.05). The D* 10th percentile had a significantly greater AUC value than the ADC 10th percentile and DDC 10th percentile (P ≤ 0.03).
Conclusion:
Histogram parameters of Alpha and D* may serve as better imaging biomarkers to aid in predicting the consistency of meningioma.
Insights
Predicting meningioma consistency is crucial for surgical planning. Advanced MRI diffusion techniques, specifically histogram parameters like Alpha and D*, show promise as imaging biomarkers for differentiating soft from hard tumors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Oncology
- Radiology
Background:
- Meningioma consistency is vital for surgical planning and impacts outcomes.
- Preoperative prediction of meningioma consistency can optimize surgical strategies.
- Current methods for assessing consistency lack non-invasive predictive capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare mono-exponential, bi-exponential, and stretched exponential MR diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) techniques.
- To evaluate the efficacy of histogram parameters derived from these DWI techniques in predicting meningioma consistency.
- To identify optimal imaging biomarkers for differentiating soft from hard meningiomas preoperatively.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 47 patients with pathologically confirmed meningiomas.
- Independent surgical classification of tumors into soft and hard groups.
- Extraction of histogram parameters (mean, median, percentiles, kurtosis, skewness) from ADC (DWI), D*, D, f (IVIM), alpha, and DDC (SEM) diffusion maps.
- Statistical comparison using Student's t-Test or Mann-Whitney U test, followed by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Main Results:
- Lower DDC, D*, and ADC 10th percentile values were observed in hard meningiomas compared to soft ones.
- Higher alpha 90th percentile values were significantly associated with hard meningiomas.
- The alpha 90th percentile demonstrated the highest Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.88, with 85.10% accuracy.
- D* 10th percentile, DDC, and ADC 10th percentile also showed significant predictive value, with D* 10th percentile outperforming ADC and DDC.
Conclusions:
- Histogram parameters derived from advanced diffusion-weighted imaging, specifically Alpha and D*, are effective imaging biomarkers.
- These parameters can aid in the non-invasive prediction of meningioma consistency.
- Utilizing Alpha and D* histogram parameters may improve preoperative surgical planning for meningiomas.
