Spatial correspondence of spinal cord white matter tracts using diffusion tensor imaging, fibre tractography, and atlas-based segmentation

McLachlin, Stewart D.; Leung, Jason; Vignesh, Sivan,; Quirion, Pierre-Olivier; Wilkie, Phoenix; Cohen‐Adad, Julien; Whyne, Cari; Hardisty, Michael

doi:10.1007/s00234-021-02635-9

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…However, it is impossible to evaluate the microstructural changes during the process of neurodegeneration and compensation. Many quantitative magnetic resonance (qMRI) techniques have been used to study the spinal cord (Lommers et al, 2021 ; Savini et al, 2021 ), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is one of the most commonly used research methods (McLachlin et al, 2021 ). DTI is a standard neuroscience technique that is more sensitive than conventional MRI in evaluating spinal cord injuries (Zhang et al, 2018 ), and it provides important information about structural integrity, including myelin formation, axon diameter, and fiber density (Kumar et al, 2021 ), which indirectly reflect the degree of degeneration and pathophysiological structural changes of the spinal cord in vivo .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degeneration of the Sensorimotor Tract in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and Compensatory Structural Changes in the Brain

Chen

Wang

et al. 2022

Front. Aging Neurosci.

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Degenerative cervical myelopathy is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, that has become increasingly prevalent in the aging population worldwide. The current study determined the factors affecting degeneration in the sensorimotor tract with degenerative cervical myelopathy and its relationship with brain structure. We divided patients into hyperintensity (HS) and non-hyperintensity (nHS) groups and measured the fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficients of the lateral corticospinal tract (CST), fasciculus gracilis and fasciculus cuneatus (FGC). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) techniques were used to estimate brain structure changes. Correlation of the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score, light touch, pinprick, motor score, and fractional anisotropy (FA) ratios of the CST at different levels were analyzed. Compared to healthy controls, the FA ratios of CST in the HS and nHS groups were decreased at all levels, and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) ratio was increased only at C4/5 levels in the HS group. The FA ratio of FGC was decreased at the C3/4 and C4/5 levels in the HS group and only decreased at the C4/5 level in the nHS group. The ADC ratio was decreased only at the C4/5 level in the HS group. VBM analysis revealed that the volume of the precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and paracentral lobule increased in patients compared to controls. TBSS analysis found no statistical significance between the sensory and motor tracts in white matter. The volume of clusters in HS and nHS groups negatively correlated with the C1/2 FA ratio of the CST. The results showed that the degeneration distance of the CST was longer than the FGC, and the degeneration distance was related to the degree of compression and spinal cord damage. Structural compensation and the neurotrophin family may lead to enlargement of the brain.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degeneration of the Sensorimotor Tract in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and Compensatory Structural Changes in the Brain

Chen

Wang

et al. 2022

Front. Aging Neurosci.

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“…Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most valuable noninvasive imaging diagnostic methods for myeloma at present, but conventional MRI cannot show the fine structure of spinal cord, especially the white matter fiber bundle injury, which has certain limitations [ 4 ]. Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) makes use of the anisotropic characteristics of water molecules in tissues to quantitatively analyze the changes of spinal cord tissue structure and reconstructs the course of white matter fiber bundles by DTI, which provides more valuable information for clinical diagnosis and treatment of myeloma [ 5 , 6 ]. At present, there is little research on the value of DTI parameters in evaluating the spinal cord function of patients with high cervical spinal cord tumor after operation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Value of DTI Parameters in Predicting Postoperative Spinal Cord Function Fluctuations in Patients with High Cervical Disc Tumors

Wang

2022

Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine

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Objective. To explore the characteristics of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in patients with high cervical spinal myeloma and the evaluation of postoperative spinal cord function. Methods. In recent years, 42 patients with high cervical spine myeloma were selected as the observation group, and 42 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group during the same period. The apparent dispersion coefficient (ADC), the fractional anisotropy (FA), the number of fiber bundles (FT), and the fiber bundle ratio (FTR) were compared between the two groups. The correlation between the ADC, FA, FT, FTR, and the International Standard for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) score in the observation group were analyzed. Spinal cord function was evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Score (JOA). Logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting the recovery of spinal cord function after surgery. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the value of ADC, FA, FT, FTR1, and FTR2 in predicting the recovery of spinal cord function. Results. The ADCs of the lesion layer and lower layer of the observation group were higher than the middle and lower layers of the control group, the FA and FT were lower than the middle and lower layers of the control group, and FTR1 and FTR2 were lower than those of the control group ( P < 0.05 ). The ADC of the lesion layer in the observation group was negatively correlated with ISNCSCI score, and the FA, FT, FTR1, FTR2, and ISNCSCI scores were positively correlated ( P < 0.05 ). Three months after the operation, JOA was used to evaluate the spinal cord function, which was excellent in 23 cases and poor in 19 cases. Logistic regression model analysis showed that after the ISNCSCI score was controlled, the increase in ADC and the decrease in FA, FT, FTR1, and FTR2 of the lesion layer were independent risk factors for poor postoperative body function recovery ( P < 0.05 ). ROC analysis showed that the combination of ADC, FA, FT, FTR1, and FTR2 of the lesion layer predicted the AUC of spinal cord functional recovery was 0.941, which was better than the single prediction ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. The abnormal DTI parameter values of patients with high cervical spinal myeloma can better reflect the lack of spinal cord function, and they can effectively predict the recovery of the patient’s body function after surgery, providing a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

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“…Since the spinal cord is surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid whose diffusivity in any direction is high, DTI values will be inaccurate if there is ROI protrusion from the spinal cord surface. 21 Longitudinal neuronal fibers, which are responsible for the high FA value of the spinal cord, are unevenly distributed in the surface layer 22 ; therefore, insufficient ROIs result in unreliable DTI val-ues. The results of our other study on muscle FA value support the findings of this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prediction of Neurological Prognosis for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging

et al. 2023

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Objective: Although cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) can be easily diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), prediction of surgical effect using preoperative radiological examinations remains difficult. In previous studies, it was reported that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may be used for the prediction of surgical effect; however, these studies did not consider the influences of spinal cord compression even though the values of DTI indexes can be distorted by compressive lesions in patients with CSM. Therefore, it is uncertain whether preoperative DTI indexes can actually predict the surgical effect. The aim of this study was to investigate DTI metrics that are hardly affected by spinal cord compression and can accurately predict neurological status after decompressive surgery.Methods: Twenty-one patients with CSM who underwent surgery and 10 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. The subjects underwent cervical MRI, and values of DTI indexes including axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were recorded at each intervertebral level. Further, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score of each patient with CSM was recorded before and after surgery for neurological status evaluation. Preoperative and postoperative values of DTI indexes were compared, and correlations between preoperative DTI parameters and postoperative neurological recovery were assessed.Results: After surgery, the lesion-adjacent (LA) ratios of RD and ADC increased (p = 0.04 and p = 0.062, respectively), while the LA ratio of FA decreased (p = 0.075). In contrast, the LA ratio of AD hardly changed. A negative correlation was observed between preoperative LA ratio of AD and JOA recovery rate 6 months after surgery (r = -0.379, p = 0.091). Based on preoperative LA ratio of AD, the patients were divided into a low AD group and a high AD group, and JOA recovery rate 6 months after surgery was found to be higher in the low AD group than in the high AD group (p = 0.024).Conclusion: In patients with CSM, preoperative LA ratio of AD is seldom affected by spinal cord compression, and it negatively correlates with JOA recovery rate 6 months after surgery.

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Spatial correspondence of spinal cord white matter tracts using diffusion tensor imaging, fibre tractography, and atlas-based segmentation

Cited by 8 publications

References 34 publications

Degeneration of the Sensorimotor Tract in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and Compensatory Structural Changes in the Brain

Degeneration of the Sensorimotor Tract in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and Compensatory Structural Changes in the Brain

The Value of DTI Parameters in Predicting Postoperative Spinal Cord Function Fluctuations in Patients with High Cervical Disc Tumors

The Prediction of Neurological Prognosis for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging

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