Comparative analysis of brain volumetric measurements between contrast-enhanced and non-contrast MRI images

Clinical brain MRI scans, including contrast-enhanced (CE-MR) images, represent an underutilized resource for neuroscience research due to technical heterogeneity.

To evaluate the reliability of morphometric measurements from CE-MR scans compared to non-contrast MR (NC-MR) scans in normal individuals.

T1-weighted CE-MR and NC-MR scans from 59 normal participants (aged 21-73 years) were compared using CAT12 and SynthSeg+ segmentation tools. Volumetric measurements and age prediction efficacy were analyzed.

SynthSeg+ demonstrated high reliability (ICCs > 0.90) for most brain structures between CE-MR and NC-MR scans, with discrepancies in CSF and ventricular volumes. CAT12 showed inconsistent performance. Age prediction models using SynthSeg + yielded comparable results for both scan types.

Deep learning-based approaches like SynthSeg+ can reliably process CE-MR scans for morphometric analysis, potentially broadening the application of clinically acquired CE-MR images in neuroimaging research.