Comparison of Glass Capillary Plates and Polyethylene Fiber Bundles as Phantoms to Assess the Quality of Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Abstract

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of two phantoms, one made of capillary plates and the other polyethylene fibers, for assessing the quality of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).Methods:The first phantom was a stack of glass capillary plates with many parallel micropores (CP). The second phantom was a bundle of polyethylene fiber Dyneema held together with a thermal shrinkage tube (Dy). High resolution multi-shot echo planar imaging (EPI) DTI acquisitions were performed at b-values of 0 and 1000 s/mm2 and diffusion-times (Tdiff) of 37.7 and 97.7 ms on a preclinical 7T MRI scanner. Thirty diffusion-encoding directions were used. The data were used to calculate the fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and angular dispersion (AD). Further acquisitions were performed at b-values from 0 to 8000 s/mm2 in 14 steps with the diffusion gradient applied parallel (axial) and perpendicular (radial) to the Z direction. On the other hand, the data acquired with a 3T MRI scanner were used to confirm that measurements on a clinical machine are consistent with the 7T MRI results.Results:The dependence of FA, MD and AD on Tdiff was smaller for the Dy than for the CPs. The b-value-dependent signal attenuations in the axial direction at Tdiff = 37.7 and 97.7 ms were similar for both phantoms. In the radial direction, Dy demonstrated similar b-value attenuation to that of in vivo tissue for both Tdiffs, but the attenuation for the CPs was affected by the change in Tdiff. Parameter estimates were similar for 3T and 7T MRI.Conclusion:The characteristics of the CP indicate that it can be used as a restricted-diffusion dominant phantom, while the characteristics of the Dy suggest that it can be used as a hindered-diffusion dominant phantom. Dy may be more suitable than CP for DTI quality control.

Quantitative measurement of diffusion-weighted imaging signal using expression-controlled aquaporin-4 cells: Comparative study of 2-compartment and diffusion kurtosis imaging models

“…In that case, the diffusion kurtosis (K) parameter of the diffusion kurtosis imaging model (DKm) may be useful for characterizing the degree of deviation from Gaussian behavior [ 13 ]. K increases as the complexity of the tissue structure increases and provides information that differs from that given by the ADC [ 13 – 15 ]. However, because there is no clear well-established connection between the DKm model and the biological reality, the mechanism by which changes in the tissue affect the DKm parameters is uncertain.…”

Quantitative Measurement of Diffusion-weighted Imaging Signal Using Expression-controlled Aquaporin-4 Cells: Comparative Study of 2-compartment and Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging Models

“…In that case, the diffusion kurtosis (K) parameter of the diffusion kurtosis imaging model (DKm) may be useful for characterizing the degree of deviation from Gaussian behavior [7]. K increases as the complexity of the tissue structure increases and provides information that differs from that given by the ADC [7][8] [9]. However, because there is no clear well-established connection between the DKm model and the biological reality, the mechanism by which changes in the tissue affect the DKm parameters is uncertain.…”

Development of anisotropic phantoms using wood and fiber materials for diffusion tensor imaging and diffusion kurtosis imaging

“…For example, a glass capillary J5022-16 (capillary plate was 33 mm in diameter and 30 mm in length, with a hole diameter of 10 µm, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Japan) is expensive, at approximately $10,000 or more. Glass capillaries are often used as phantom materials for restricted diffusion [11–14]. In a previous study, capillaries with large capillary diameters had low fractional anisotropy (FA) values and were not able to provide sufficient anisotropy [15].…”