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Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
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Diffusion tensor imaging within the healthy cervical spinal cord: Within- participants reliability and measurement
Hussein Al-Shaari1, Jon Fulford2, C J Heales2
1Diagnostic Radiology Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran 61441, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Imaging, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, The University of Exeter, South Cloisters, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
|March 8, 2024
Summary
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is reliable for visualizing the cervical spinal cord (CSC). This technique is suitable for monitoring white matter changes in clinical trials.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) offers advanced visualization of the cervical spinal cord (CSC) in vivo.
- DTI provides detailed information on white matter tissue structure, potentially detecting spinal cord damage more sensitively than other MRI techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the within-participant reliability and error magnitude of DTI metrics in the healthy human CSC.
- To establish the reproducibility of DTI measurements for future clinical applications.
Main Methods:
- Twenty healthy participants underwent two MRI scans using standard DTI sequences on a 3T scanner.
- Spinal Cord Toolbox (SCT) software was used for motion correction, segmentation, registration, and computation of DTI metrics (FA, MD, AD, RD).
- Within-participant reliability was evaluated using coefficients of variation (CV%) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), with Bland-Altman plots for agreement.
Main Results:
- DTI metrics demonstrated poor to excellent within-participant reliability (ICC) and moderate to high reproducibility (CV%), varying by region of interest (ROI).
- Bland-Altman plots indicated good agreement between scan-rescan DTI measurements in the CSC.
- Reliability was dependent on the specific region of the cervical spinal cord examined.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms the feasibility of using DTI in clinical trials for cervical spinal cord assessment.
- DTI is suitable for monitoring degenerative white matter changes in specific regions of the spinal cord.
- These findings support the use of DTI as a reliable tool in neurological research and clinical practice.
