How gliomas affect white matter tract bundles associated with the limbic cortex

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurosurgery
• Oncology

Background:

• Glioma prognosis remains poor despite stable incidence in the US.
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is an underutilized MRI modality for predicting glioma resection outcomes.
• DTI measures water diffusion to assess white matter tract structural integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine if lateralized gliomas affect the structure of limbic tract bundles.
• To determine if these changes correlate with tumor location, size, and number of tracts within the bundle.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 33 glioma patients using preoperative DTI.
• Analysis of cingulum, fornix, and uncinate fasciculus.
• Acquisition of diffusion coefficients (FA, MD), tumor volume, lobe location, and tract number using ITK-SNAP and DSI Studio software.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in FA and MD were observed in the cingulum and uncinate fasciculus between hemispheres and tumor involvement.
• FA and MD of cingulum, fornix, and uncinate fasciculus correlated significantly with the number of tracts within the tumor hemisphere.
• Gliomas may increase white matter tract numbers and alter their structure.

Conclusions:

• Gliomas measurably impact the structure and integrity of limbic white matter tracts.
• Findings support the use of DTI as a preoperative planning tool for glioma surgery.
• Future research will incorporate tumor location effects and patient outcomes.