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MRI internal segmentation of optic pathway gliomas: clinical implementation of a novel algorithm. Childs Nerv Syst 2011; 27:1265-72. [PMID: 21452004 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-011-1436-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2010] [Accepted: 03/12/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Optic pathway gliomas (OPGs) are diagnosed based on typical MR features and require careful monitoring with serial MRI. Reliable, serial radiological comparison of OPGs is a difficult task, where accuracy becomes very important for clinical decisions on treatment initiation and results. Current radiological methodology usually includes linear measurements that are limited in terms of precision and reproducibility. METHOD We present a method that enables semiautomated segmentation and internal classification of OPGs using a novel algorithm. Our method begins with co-registration of the different sequences of an MR study so that T1 and T2 slices are realigned. The follow-up studies are then re-sliced according to the baseline study. The baseline tumor is segmented, with internal components classified into solid non-enhancing, solid-enhancing, and cystic components, and the volume is calculated. Tumor demarcation is then transferred onto the next study and the process repeated. Numerical values are correlated with clinical data such as treatment and visual ability. RESULTS We have retrospectively implemented our method on 24 MR studies of three OPG patients. Clinical case reviews are presented here. The volumetric results have been correlated with clinical data and their implications are also discussed. CONCLUSIONS The heterogeneity of OPGs, the long course, and the young age of the patients are all driving the demand for more efficient and accurate means of tumor follow-up. This method may allow better understanding of the natural history of the tumor and provide a more advanced means of treatment evaluation.
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Mehrara E, Forssell-Aronsson E, Bernhardt P. Objective assessment of tumour response to therapy based on tumour growth kinetics. Br J Cancer 2011; 105:682-6. [PMID: 21792200 PMCID: PMC3188932 DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2011.276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Current standards for assessment of tumour response to therapy (a) categorise therapeutic efficacy values, inappropriate for patient-specific and deterministic studies, (b) neglect the natural growth characteristics of tumours, (c) are based on tumour shrinkage, inappropriate for cytostatic therapies, and (d) do not accommodate integration of functional/biological means of therapeutic efficacy assessed with, for example, positron emission tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, with data from anatomical changes in tumour. Methods: A quantity for tumour response was formulated assuming that an effective treatment may decrease the cell proliferation rate (cytostatic) and/or increase the cell loss rate (cytotoxic) of the tumour. Tumour response values were analysed for 11 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients treated with 131I-labelled anti-B1 antibody and 12 prostate cancer patients treated with a nutritional supplement. Results: Tumour response was found to be equal to the logarithm of the ratio of post-treatment tumour volume to the volume of corresponding untreated tumour. Neglecting the natural growth characteristics of tumours results in underestimation of treatment effectiveness based on currently used methods. The model also facilitates the integration of data from tumour volume changes, with data from functional imaging. Conclusion: Tumour response to therapy can be assessed with a continuous dimensionless quantity for both cytotoxic and cytostatic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Mehrara
- Department of Radiation Physics, University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Göteborg, Sweden.
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Khwaja FW. Prognostic markers of astrocytoma: how to predict the unpredictable? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 1:463-79. [PMID: 23496354 DOI: 10.1517/17530059.1.4.463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Astrocytomas are the most frequent tumors originating in the human nervous system. They carry a dismal prognosis as high-grade astroctyoma patients (World Health Organization [WHO] grade III and IV) rarely live beyond 5 years. At present, these tumors are mainly diagnosed through the difficult task of histologic examination of tissue obtained through stereotactic biopsy or tumor resection. In addition to determining the malignancy grade through histologic studies, the only other prognostic factors used in clinical setting are patient age and performance status. To overcome current limitations, research is underway to develop molecular approaches for glioma classification. These include identification, characterization and expansion of clinical (patient characteristics and imaging variables), histologic (WHO classification criteria) and molecular (genetic and proteomic) factors with prognostic potential. In this review the established classification characteristics, along with recent advances that may lead to the addition of new parameters and thus improve patient management and survival, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima W Khwaja
- Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Basic Science Lab, Abdul Hafeez Research Wing, 77A, Block R/8, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan +92 042 5180727 ext. 2523 ; +92 042 5945207 ;
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Patriarche JW, Erickson BJ. Change Detection & Characterization: A New Tool for Imaging Informatics and Cancer Research. Cancer Inform 2007. [DOI: 10.1177/117693510700400002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern imaging systems are able to produce a rich and diverse array of information, regarding various facets of anatomy and function. The quantity of information produced by these systems is so bountiful, however, as to have the potential to become a hindrance to clinical assessment. In the context of serial image evaluation, computer-based change detection and characterization is one important mechanism to process the information produced by imaging systems, so as to reduce the quantity of data, direct the attention of the physician to regions of the data which are the most informative for their purposes, and present the data in the form in which it will be the most useful. Change detection and characterization algorithms may serve as a basis for the creation of an objective definition of progression, which will reduce inter and intra-observer variability, and facilitate earlier detection of disease and recurrence, which in turn may lead to improved outcomes. Decreased observer variability combined with increased acuity should make it easier to discover promising therapies. Quantitative measures of the response to these therapies should provide a means to compare the effectiveness of treatments under investigation. Change detection may be applicable to a broad range of cancers, in essentially all anatomical regions. The source of information upon which change detection comparisons may be based is likewise broad. Validation of algorithms for the longitudinal assessment of cancer patients is expected to be challenging, though not insurmountable, as the many facets of the problem mean that validation will likely need to be approached from a variety of vantage points. Change detection and characterization is quickly becoming a very active field of investigation, and it is expected that this burgeoning field will help to facilitate cancer care both in the clinic and research.
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Abstract
The complexity and variability of human brain (as well as other species) across subjects is so great that reliance on maps and atlases is essential to effectively manipulate, analyze and interpret brain data. Central to these tasks is the construction of averages, templates and models to describe how the brain and its component parts are organized. Design of appropriate reference systems and visualization strategies for human brain data presents considerable challenges, since these systems must capture how brain structure and function vary in large populations, across age and gender, in different disease states, across imaging modalities and even across species. This paper will describe the application of brain maps to a variety of questions and problems in health and disease. It includes a brief survey of different types of maps, including those that capture dynamic patterns of brain change over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur W Toga
- Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Reed Neurological Research Center, Room 4238, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1769, USA.
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Liu J, Udupa JK, Odhner D, Hackney D, Moonis G. A system for brain tumor volume estimation via MR imaging and fuzzy connectedness. Comput Med Imaging Graph 2005; 29:21-34. [PMID: 15710538 DOI: 10.1016/j.compmedimag.2004.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2003] [Revised: 07/30/2004] [Accepted: 07/30/2004] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents a method for the precise, accurate and efficient quantification of brain tumor (glioblastomas) via MRI that can be used routinely in the clinic. Tumor volume is considered useful in evaluating disease progression and response to therapy, and in assessing the need for changes in treatment plans. We use multiple MRI protocols including FLAIR, T1, and T1 with Gd enhancement to gather information about different aspects of the tumor and its vicinity. These include enhancing tissue, nonenhancing tumor, edema, and combinations of edema and tumor. We have adapted the fuzzy connectedness framework for tumor segmentation in this work and the method requires only limited user interaction in routine clinical use. The system has been tested for its precision, accuracy, and efficiency, utilizing 10 patient studies. The percent coefficient of variation (% CV) in volume due to operator subjectivity in specifying seeds for fuzzy connectedness segmentation is less than 1%. The mean operator and computer time required per study for estimating the volumes of both edema and enhancing tumor is about 16 min. The software package is designed to run under operator supervision. Delineation has been found to agree with the operators' visual inspection most of the time except in some cases when the tumor is close to the boundary of the brain. In the latter case, the scalp, surgical scar, or orbital contents are included in the delineation, and an operator has to exclude this manually. The methodology is rapid, robust, consistent, yielding highly reproducible measurements, and is likely to become part of the routine evaluation of brain tumor patients in our health system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianguo Liu
- Medical Image Processing Group, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 4th Floor, Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, PA 19104-6021, USA
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Patriarche J, Erickson B. A review of the automated detection of change in serial imaging studies of the brain. J Digit Imaging 2004; 17:158-74. [PMID: 15534751 PMCID: PMC3046605 DOI: 10.1007/s10278-004-1010-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Serial imaging is frequently performed on patients with diseases of the brain, to track and observe changes. Magnetic resonance imaging provides very detailed and rich information, and is therefore used frequently for this application. The data provided by MR can be so plentiful; however, that it obfuscates the information the radiologist seeks. A system which could reduce the large quantity of primitive data to a smaller and more informative subset of data, emphasizing change, would be useful. This article discusses motivating factors for the production of an automated process to this effect, and reviews the approaches of previous authors. The discussion is focused on brain tumors and multiple sclerosis, but many of the ideas are applicable to other disease processes, as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Patriarche
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, 200 First Street SW, 55905 Rochester, MN
| | - Bradley Erickson
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, 200 First Street SW, 55905 Rochester, MN
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Abstract
The brain changes profoundly in structure and function during development and as a result of diseases such as the dementias, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, and tumor growth. Strategies to measure, map, and visualize these brain changes are of immense value in basic and clinical neuroscience. Algorithms that map brain change with sufficient spatial and temporal sensitivity can also assess drugs that aim to decelerate or arrest these changes. In neuroscience studies, these tools can reveal subtle brain changes in adolescence and old age and link these changes with measurable differences in brain function and cognition. Early detection of brain change in patients at risk for dementia; tumor recurrence; or relapsing-remitting conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, is also vital for optimizing therapy. We review a variety of mathematical and computational approaches to detect structural brain change with unprecedented sensitivity, both spatially and temporally. The resulting four-dimensional (4-D) maps of brain anatomy are warehoused in population-based brain atlases. Here, statistical tools compare brain changes across subjects and across populations, adjusting for complex differences in brain structure. Brain changes in an individual can be compared with a normative database comprised of subjects matched for age, gender, and other demographic factors. These dynamic brain maps offer key biological markers for understanding disease progression and testing therapeutic response. The early detection of disease-related brain changes is also critical for possible pre-emptive intervention before the ravages of disease have set in.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur W Toga
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90095-1769, USA.
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Toga AW. The Laboratory of Neuro Imaging: what it is, why it is, and how it came to be. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2002; 21:1333-1343. [PMID: 12575870 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2002.806432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
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Mazziotta J, Toga A, Evans A, Fox P, Lancaster J, Zilles K, Woods R, Paus T, Simpson G, Pike B, Holmes C, Collins L, Thompson P, MacDonald D, Iacoboni M, Schormann T, Amunts K, Palomero-Gallagher N, Geyer S, Parsons L, Narr K, Kabani N, Le Goualher G, Feidler J, Smith K, Boomsma D, Hulshoff Pol H, Cannon T, Kawashima R, Mazoyer B. A four-dimensional probabilistic atlas of the human brain. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2001; 8:401-30. [PMID: 11522763 PMCID: PMC131040 DOI: 10.1136/jamia.2001.0080401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 239] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2001] [Accepted: 05/01/2001] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The authors describe the development of a four-dimensional atlas and reference system that includes both macroscopic and microscopic information on structure and function of the human brain in persons between the ages of 18 and 90 years. Given the presumed large but previously unquantified degree of structural and functional variance among normal persons in the human population, the basis for this atlas and reference system is probabilistic. Through the efforts of the International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM), 7,000 subjects will be included in the initial phase of database and atlas development. For each subject, detailed demographic, clinical, behavioral, and imaging information is being collected. In addition, 5,800 subjects will contribute DNA for the purpose of determining genotype- phenotype-behavioral correlations. The process of developing the strategies, algorithms, data collection methods, validation approaches, database structures, and distribution of results is described in this report. Examples of applications of the approach are described for the normal brain in both adults and children as well as in patients with schizophrenia. This project should provide new insights into the relationship between microscopic and macroscopic structure and function in the human brain and should have important implications in basic neuroscience, clinical diagnostics, and cerebral disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Mazziotta
- UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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