Radiomic profiling of high-risk aneurysms with blebs: an exploratory study

Area of Science:

• Neuroradiology
• Medical Imaging Analysis
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Blebs on intracranial aneurysms increase rupture risk.
• Radiomic analysis can characterize aneurysm walls.
• Distinct radiomic profiles of blebs and their correlation with mechanical metrics are unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze radiomic features (RFs) of bleb-containing aneurysms.
• To investigate the relationship between RFs and wall tension/shear stress.
• To enhance the risk assessment of intracranial aneurysms.

Main Methods:

• High-resolution MRI (T1 and T1+Gd sequences) was used for imaging.
• 3D models of aneurysm bodies and blebs were created to extract RFs.
• Univariate regression and Spearman correlations assessed associations between RFs and mechanical/fluid dynamics metrics.

Main Results:

• Fifty-five RFs differed significantly between blebs and aneurysm bodies.
• Five RFs were significantly different between matched aneurysms with and without blebs.
• 41 RFs showed moderate to strong correlations with mechanical and fluid dynamics metrics.

Conclusions:

• Aneurysm blebs possess distinct radiomic profiles compared to the main sac.
• Variability in bleb wall characteristics may relate to mechanical stresses and hemodynamics.
• Radiomic profiling can identify intracranial aneurysm regions at heightened rupture risk.