An Immersive Virtual Reality Environment for Diagnostic Imaging

Björn Lampinen, Filip Szczepankiewicz, Johan Mårtensson, Danielle van Westen, Oskar Hansson, Carl-Fredrik Westin, and Markus Nilsson. 9/2020. “Towards Unconstrained Compartment Modeling in White Matter Using Diffusion-Relaxation MRI with Tensor-Valued Diffusion Encoding.” Magn Reson Med, 84, 3, Pp. 1605-23.Abstract

PURPOSE: To optimize diffusion-relaxation MRI with tensor-valued diffusion encoding for precise estimation of compartment-specific fractions, diffusivities, and T values within a two-compartment model of white matter, and to explore the approach in vivo. METHODS: Sampling protocols featuring different b-values (b), b-tensor shapes (b ), and echo times (TE) were optimized using Cramér-Rao lower bounds (CRLB). Whole-brain data were acquired in children, adults, and elderly with white matter lesions. Compartment fractions, diffusivities, and T values were estimated in a model featuring two microstructural compartments represented by a "stick" and a "zeppelin." RESULTS: Precise parameter estimates were enabled by sampling protocols featuring seven or more "shells" with unique b/b /TE-combinations. Acquisition times were approximately 15 minutes. In white matter of adults, the "stick" compartment had a fraction of approximately 0.5 and, compared with the "zeppelin" compartment, featured lower isotropic diffusivities (0.6 vs. 1.3 μm /ms) but higher T values (85 vs. 65 ms). Children featured lower "stick" fractions (0.4). White matter lesions exhibited high "zeppelin" isotropic diffusivities (1.7 μm /ms) and T values (150 ms). CONCLUSIONS: Diffusion-relaxation MRI with tensor-valued diffusion encoding expands the set of microstructure parameters that can be precisely estimated and therefore increases their specificity to biological quantities.

Kyriakos Dalamagkas, Magdalini Tsintou, Yogesh Rathi, Lauren J O'Donnell, Ofer Pasternak, Xue Gong, Anne Zhu, Peter Savadjiev, George M Papadimitriou, Marek Kubicki, Edward H Yeterian, and Nikos Makris. 6/2020. “Individual Variations of the Human Corticospinal Tract and Its Hand-Related Motor Fibers Using Diffusion MRI Tractography.” Brain Imaging Behav, 14, 3, Pp. 696-714.Abstract

The corticospinal tract (CST) is one of the most well studied tracts in human neuroanatomy. Its clinical significance can be demonstrated in many notable traumatic conditions and diseases such as stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With the advent of diffusion MRI and tractography the computational representation of the human CST in a 3D model became available. However, the representation of the entire CST and, specifically, the hand motor area has remained elusive. In this paper we propose a novel method, using manually drawn ROIs based on robustly identifiable neuroanatomic structures to delineate the entire CST and isolate its hand motor representation as well as to estimate their variability and generate a database of their volume, length and biophysical parameters. Using 37 healthy human subjects we performed a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the CST and the hand-related motor fiber tracts (HMFTs). Finally, we have created variability heat maps from 37 subjects for both the aforementioned tracts, which could be utilized as a reference for future studies with clinical focus to explore neuropathology in both trauma and disease states.

Erik Ziegler, Trinity Urban, Danny Brown, James Petts, Steve D Pieper, Rob Lewis, Chris Hafey, and Gordon J Harris. 4/2020. “Open Health Imaging Foundation Viewer: An Extensible Open-Source Framework for Building Web-Based Imaging Applications to Support Cancer Research.” JCO Clin Cancer Inform, 4, Pp. 336-45.Abstract

PURPOSE: Zero-footprint Web architecture enables imaging applications to be deployed on premise or in the cloud without requiring installation of custom software on the user's computer. Benefits include decreased costs and information technology support requirements, as well as improved accessibility across sites. The Open Health Imaging Foundation (OHIF) Viewer is an extensible platform developed to leverage these benefits and address the demand for open-source Web-based imaging applications. The platform can be modified to support site-specific workflows and accommodate evolving research requirements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The OHIF Viewer provides basic image review functionality (eg, image manipulation and measurement) as well as advanced visualization (eg, multiplanar reformatting). It is written as a client-only, single-page Web application that can easily be embedded into third-party applications or hosted as a standalone Web site. The platform provides extension points for software developers to include custom tools and adapt the system for their workflows. It is standards compliant and relies on DICOMweb for data exchange and OpenID Connect for authentication, but it can be configured to use any data source or authentication flow. Additionally, the user interface components are provided in a standalone component library so that developers can create custom extensions. RESULTS: The OHIF Viewer and its underlying components have been widely adopted and integrated into multiple clinical research platforms (e,g Precision Imaging Metrics, XNAT, LabCAS, ISB-CGC) and commercial applications (eg, Osirix). It has also been used to build custom imaging applications (eg, ProstateCancer.ai, Crowds Cure Cancer [presented as a case study]). CONCLUSION: The OHIF Viewer provides a flexible framework for building applications to support imaging research. Its adoption could reduce redundancies in software development for National Cancer Institute-funded projects, including Informatics Technology for Cancer Research and the Quantitative Imaging Network.

Joseph M Gullett, Andrew O'Shea, Damon G Lamb, Eric C Porges, Deirdre M O'Shea, Ofer Pasternak, Ronald A Cohen, and Adam J Woods. 6/2020. “The Association of White Matter Free Water With Cognition in Older Adults.” Neuroimage, 219, Pp. 117040.Abstract

BACKGROUND: Extracellular free water within cerebral white matter tissue has been shown to increase with age and pathology, yet the cognitive consequences of free water in typical aging prior to the development of neurodegenerative disease remains unclear. Understanding the contribution of free water to cognitive function in older adults may provide important insight into the neural mechanisms of the cognitive aging process. METHODS: A diffusion-weighted MRI measure of extracellular free water as well as a commonly used diffusion MRI metric (fractional anisotropy) along nine bilateral white matter pathways were examined for their relationship with cognitive function assessed by the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery in 47 older adults (mean age = 74.4 years, SD = 5.4 years, range = 65-85 years). Probabilistic tractography at the 99th percentile level of probability (Tracts Constrained by Underlying Anatomy; TRACULA) was utilized to produce the pathways on which microstructural characteristics were overlaid and examined for their contribution to cognitive function independent of age, education, and gender. RESULTS: When examining the 99th percentile probability core white matter pathway derived from TRACULA, poorer fluid cognitive ability was related to higher mean free water values across the angular and cingulum bundles of the cingulate gyrus, as well as the corticospinal tract and the superior longitudinal fasciculus. There was no relationship between cognition and mean FA or free water-adjusted FA across the 99th percentile core white matter pathway. Crystallized cognitive ability was not associated with any of the diffusion measures. When examining cognitive domains comprising the NIH Toolbox Fluid Cognition index relationships with these white matter pathways, mean free water demonstrated strong hemispheric and functional specificity for cognitive performance, whereas mean FA was not related to age or cognition across the 99th percentile pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Extracellular free water within white matter appears to increase with normal aging, and higher values are associated with significantly lower fluid but not crystallized cognitive functions. When using TRACULA to estimate the core of a white matter pathway, a higher degree of free water appears to be highly specific to the pathways associated with memory, working memory, and speeded decision-making performance, whereas no such relationship existed with FA. These data suggest that free water may play an important role in the cognitive aging process, and may serve as a stronger and more specific indicator of early cognitive decline than traditional diffusion MRI measures, such as FA.

Fiona M Fennessy, Andriy Fedorov, Mark G Vangel, Robert V Mulkern, Maria Tretiakova, Rosina T Lis, Clare Tempany, and Mary-Ellen Taplin. 2019. “Multiparametric MRI as a Biomarker of Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer-A Pilot Study.” Acad Radiol.Abstract

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To explore a role for multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) as a biomarker of response to neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PCa). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was approved by the institutional review board and was HIPAA compliant. Eight patients with localized PCa had a baseline mpMRI, repeated after 6-months of ADT, followed by prostatectomy. mpMRI indices were extracted from tumor and normal regions of interest (TROI/NROI). Residual cancer burden (RCB) was measured on mpMRI and on the prostatectomy specimen. Paired t-tests compared TROI/NROI mpMRI indices and pre/post-treatment TROI mpMRI indices. Spearman's rank tested for correlations between MRI/pathology-based RCB, and between pathological RCB and mpMRI indices. RESULTS: At baseline, TROI apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was lower and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) metrics were higher, compared to NROI (ADC: 806 ± 137 × 10 vs. 1277 ± 213 × 10 mm/sec, p = 0.0005; K: 0.346 ± 0.16 vs. 0.144 ± 0.06 min, p = 0.002; AUC: 0.213 ± 0.08 vs. 0.11 ± 0.03, p = 0.002). Post-treatment, there was no change in TROI ADC, but a decrease in TROI K (0.346 ± 0.16 to 0.188 ± 0.08 min; p = 0.02) and AUC (0.213 ± 0.08 to 0.13 ± 0.06; p = 0.02). Tumor volume decreased with ADT. There was no difference between mpMRI-based and pathology-based RCB, which positively correlated (⍴ = 0.74-0.81, p < 0.05). Pathology-based RCB positively correlated with post-treatment DCE metrics (⍴ = 0.76-0.70, p < 0.05) and negatively with ADC (⍴ = -0.79, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Given the heterogeneity of PCa, an individualized approach to ADT may maximize potential benefit. This pilot study suggests that mpMRI may serve as a biomarker of ADT response and as a surrogate for RCB at prostatectomy.

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An Immersive Virtual Reality Environment for Diagnostic Imaging

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