核磁共振弥散峰度成像在脑中风诊断中的应用

目的 研究弥散峰度成像(DKI)对脑组织灰质和白质的描述以及在脑中风诊断中的应用.方法 采用2例正常人以及15例脑中风患者(包含9例脑梗死,急性、亚急性和陈旧性各占3例)的脑部核磁共振图像作为试验数据.针对每例数据各个像素位置,分别对9个不同弥散梯度场下各个信号强度进行非线性拟合得到弥散系数(D值)和弥散峰度(K值),进而做出ADC图和DKI图.观察比较分析各例在ADC图和DKI图的表现.结果 DKI成像具有更多的纹理细节,包含更丰富的组织特征.急性、亚急性脑梗死病灶在DKI图呈现高信号,陈旧性脑梗死病灶在DKI图呈现低信号,平均峰度相对值(rMK)分别为2.193±0.166,1.789±0.162,0.564±0.069.结论 DKI对脑组织尤其是灰质以及一些脑中风病灶的描述相对于ADC图包含更多的组织信息.脑梗死病灶的rMK值具有特征性演变规律.     

弥散峰度成像对前交叉韧带早期退变性损伤的评估研究

目的 探讨弥散峰度成像（diffusion kurtosis imaging,DKI）评估前交叉韧带早期退变损伤的临床意义。方法 收集2021年1月～2022年3月期间50例单膝关节DKI成像数据,据关节镜结果分为退变组（n=25）和正常组（n=25）,对比两组患者前交叉韧带平均弥散峰度（mean kurtosis,MK）、轴向弥散峰度（axial kurtosis,AK）、径向弥散峰度（radial kurtosis,RK）、平均弥散系数（mean diffusivity,MD）及弥散各向异性分数（fractional anisotropy,FA）的差异性。结果 退变组MK值、AK值、RK值以及FA值均低于正常组（t=8.132、5.313、6.885、9.035,均P<0.01）,而MD值高于正常组（t=-5.145,P<0.01）。ROC曲线示DKI以上各参数对前交叉韧带早期退变性损伤均具有诊断意义,以MK值最高。当MK=0.884时,其诊断效能最大,敏感性92%,特异性96%,约登指数0.88,曲线下面积为0.979。结论 弥散峰度成像可定量评估前交叉韧带早期退变损...     

闭锁综合征患者运动诱发电位和皮质脊髓束弥散张量成像变化

目的：应用弥散张量成像（DTI）技术和运动诱发电位（MEP）评估闭锁综合征患者皮质脊髓束（CST）运动功能,观察DTI与MEP变化与运动功能的关系.方法：对2例脑干卒中患者分别于入院时、入院后2周进行DTI及MEP动态观察,测定患侧CST的部分各向异性值（FAV）,观察内囊纤维成像和MEP变化及其与运动功能的关系.结果：入院时DTI显示CST的FAV降低,通过脑干的下行白质纤维明显减少,入院2周后FAV和白质纤维均增加;入院时MEP的皮质电位消失,但是2周后随着FAV增加,皮质MEP重新出现,患者的运动功能也开始好转.结论：DTI的变化与MEP关系密切,它们与运动功能呈正相关.     

弥散峰度成像预测直肠腺癌UGT1A1*28基因突变的价值

目的:评估弥散峰度成像（DKI）对直肠腺癌尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖醛酸基转移酶1A1（UGT1A1）*28基因突变的预测价值。方法:回顾性研究。纳入山西省肿瘤医院2016年11月—2020年8月167例直肠腺癌患者的临床资料,其中男98例、女69例,年龄29~89岁、中位年龄为62岁。患者术前均行MR常规序列和DKI序列检查,...     

弥散张量成像在周围神经病变的应用及进展

弥散张量成像（diffusion tensor imaging，DTI）及纤维束示踪术（diffusion tensor tracking，Dr丌）是在常规弥散基础上发展起来的新兴技术，可通过监测水分子的随机运动和测量各向异性来提供组织的显微结构和组织架构等有价值的信息，具有常规MRI技术无法比拟的优势。目前已广泛应用于中枢神经系统多种疾病的诊断及预后评价中。近年来，DTI及DTT示踪技术已逐步应用于周围神经及肌肉病变的诊断。由于神经纤维的组织学特性，沿着神经轴突长轴方向弥散略高于垂直于它们的短轴方向，导致各向异性扩散存在差异，因此，周围神经病变适合采用DTI及DTr技术对细微结构进行评估及量化研究。     

磁共振弥散张量成像对瘤样炎性脱髓鞘病与低级别胶质瘤鉴别诊断的研究

目的 探讨MR弥散张量成像(DTI)在瘤样炎性脱髓鞘病(TIDD)与低级别胶质瘤(LGG)鉴别诊断中的应用价值。方法 纳入2012年1月—2016年2月在重庆医科大学附属第一医院确诊的10例TIDD患者及15例经病理证实的LGG患者资料进行回顾性分析。所有患者行3.0 T MR DTI检查,在表观弥散系数(ADC) 图及部分各向异性(FA) 图上定量测定患者病变区及其对侧镜像部位正常脑白质区(镜像区)的 ADC 值及 FA值,并进行统计分析;同时重建白质纤维素的3D图像,观察白质纤维素与病变区的空间位置关系。结果 TIDD组病变区和镜像区的ADC值、FA值分别为(1.484±0.14)×10³ mm²/s、0.109±0.02和(0.725±0.05)×10³ mm²/s、0.443±0.08,LGG组病变区和镜像区的ADC值、FA值分别为(1.368±0.09)×10³ mm²/s、0.163±0.01和(0.684±0.03)×10³ mm²/s、0.471±0.04。TIDD组与LGG组两组内病变区与镜像区ADC值和FA值差异均有统计学意义 (P值均<0.01),组间病变区ADC值和FA值差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.05)。LGG的纤维重建图主要表现为肿瘤部位明显受压外移,较对侧稀疏、中断及形态改变;TIDD的纤维重建图主要表现为纤维稍稀疏,未见明显中断及移位改变。结论 TIDD与LGG在DTI上的弥散指标存在明显差异,可为两者的鉴别诊断提供量化依据。     

基于机器学习方法的前列腺癌DWI多参数分析及其应用

探究使用机器学习方法,提升对扩散加权成像(DWI)多参数图的前列腺癌(PCa)诊断的准确性。对39例前列腺癌患者、56例良性患者,进行磁共振扩散加权图像的采集,并使用传统单指数模型(Mono)、拉伸指数模型(SEM)、弥散张量成像(DTI)模型、弥散峰度成像(DKI)模型以及体内素不相干运动扩散(IVIM)模型等5种重建模型,得到共计16个参数图,而后对于每一个参数图进行直方图分析,得到相关图像特征后使用机器学习的方法进行分类。 使用支持向量机和随机森林两种分类器对前列腺病变进行良恶性分类,随机森林分类器的AUC值可以达到0.98,具有较高的分类性能。另外,对特征进行重要性排序后,发现DKI参数图是肿瘤分类的重要指标。     

磁共振扩散张量成像评价小儿脑病的初步应用

目的应用扩散张量成像（DTI）来进一步评价小儿脑疾病，探讨DTI的诊断价值。方法对15例患各种脑病的小儿进行MRI检查，其中男性10例，女性5例，年龄为生后3天至11岁（平均年龄4．8岁）。采用Philips Intera Achieva 3．0 Tesla的超导MRI仪，用回波平面成像（EPI）的DTI技术，b为800s／mm^2，15个方向。观察彩色分数各向异性（FA）图和三维彩色编码图。结果15例患儿中，发育畸形2例，分别是胼胝体发育不良、巨脑回；脑室旁白质软化（PVL）7例；缺氧缺血性脑病3例；脑软化2例；脑积水1例。在巨脑回病例，常规MRI见右侧脑回发育不良，呈巨脑回畸形，右侧脑室扩大，在DTI上见右侧病变区白质束明显较对侧少。胼胝体发育不良病例在DTI张量图见胼胝体菲薄。在PVL和缺氧缺血性脑病病例均可见白质纤维束在放射冠颜色混杂，方向性混乱。脑软化病例可见白质纤维束部分中断。在脑积水病例可见白质束受压推移。结论DTI能够显示白质束的走向、绕行、交叉及推挤、中断等异常，可能对今后评估小儿脑病的预后转归有帮助。     

磁共振弥散张量成像的质量控制

磁共振弥散张量成像（DTI）是诊断和分析神经系统疾病的重要方法,但其目前发展受空间分辨率、信噪比及图像质量等限制。本文对近年来MRI系统基础质量保证方法、DTI参数定性测量方法、用于扩散成像的软件方法以及不同纤维跟踪方法等进行综述。     

PM滤波方法对提高不同b值弥散张量成像图像质量的应用研究

目的在不同b值条件下,研究PM滤波方法对提高弥散张量成像（DTI）技术图像质量的作用。方法在b值为800～2800s／mm2的条件下分别对模体及志愿者实施DTI．利用改进的PM滤波方法对获得的弥散加权成像（DWI）图像进行处理后求解张量参数．得到反映水分子各向异性扩散程度的FA图。通过比较标准FA图与处理后FA图间的均方根误差（RMSE）．评价PM滤波的效果。结果随着b值的升高,图像信噪比逐渐降低．FA误差逐渐增大。当b值小于2000s／mm2时．经过PM滤波后．可得到RMSE较低的后处理图像。结论b值在1000．2000s／mm2范围内,应用PM滤波方法是提高人脑DTI图像质量的一种有效手段．     

White matter organization in relation to upper limb motor control in healthy subjects: exploring the added value of diffusion kurtosis imaging

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) characterizes white matter (WM) microstructure. In many brain regions, however, the assumption that the diffusion probability distribution is Gaussian may be invalid, even at low b values. Recently, diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) was suggested to more accurately estimate this distribution. We explored the added value of DKI in studying the relation between WM microstructure and upper limb coordination in healthy controls (N = 24). Performance on a complex bimanual tracking task was studied with respect to the conventional DTI measures (DKI or DTI derived) and kurtosis metrics of WM tracts/regions carrying efferent (motor) output from the brain, corpus callosum (CC) substructures and whole brain WM. For both estimation models, motor performance was associated with fractional anisotropy (FA) of the CC-genu, CC-body, the anterior limb of the internal capsule, and whole brain WM (r _s range 0.42–0.63). Although DKI revealed higher mean, radial and axial diffusivity and lower FA than DTI (p < 0.001), the correlation coefficients were comparable. Finally, better motor performance was associated with increased mean and radial kurtosis and kurtosis anisotropy (r _s range 0.43–0.55). In conclusion, DKI provided additional information, but did not show increased sensitivity to detect relations between WM microstructure and bimanual performance in healthy controls.     

Diffusion abnormalities in temporal lobes of children with temporal lobe epilepsy: a preliminary diffusional kurtosis imaging study and comparison with diffusion tensor imaging

In this preliminary study, we aimed to investigate the abnormalities of water diffusion in children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Eight children with unilateral TLE (according to electroencephalography, EEG) and eight age‐ and sex‐matched controls were recruited. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)/diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) acquisitions were performed. Radial diffusivity (λ_⊥), axial diffusivity (λ_∥), mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were calculated for both DTI and DKI, and radial kurtosis (K_⊥), axial kurtosis (K_∥) and mean kurtosis (MK) maps were calculated for DKI only. Mann–Whitney test showed that, for white matter in the temporal lobe, DKI‐derived λ_∥, MD and K_∥ were significantly different in bilateral temporal lobes and EEG‐abnormal and EEG‐normal sides of the temporal lobe between patients and controls, whereas DTI showed no abnormalities. For gray matter, DKI detected significantly higher MD and MK in the same three comparisons, whereas DTI detected abnormalities only in the comparison between bilateral temporal lobes and between EEG‐normal sides in cases and left–right matched sides in controls. No significant difference was observed between EEG‐abnormal and EEG‐normal sides in cases. These preliminary results indicate that DKI is more sensitive than DTI for the detection of diffusion abnormalities in the temporal lobes of children with TLE, even when EEG signals are normal. These findings pave the way for the application of DKI for in‐depth studies on TLE in children. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of image sensitivity between conventional tensor‐based and fast diffusion kurtosis imaging protocols in a rodent model of acute ischemic stroke

Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) can offer a useful complementary tool to routine diffusion MRI for improved stratification of heterogeneous tissue damage in acute ischemic stroke. However, its relatively long imaging time has hampered its clinical application in the emergency setting. A recently proposed fast DKI approach substantially shortens the imaging time, which may help to overcome the scan time limitation. However, to date, the sensitivity of the fast DKI protocol for the imaging of acute stroke has not been fully described. In this study, we performed routine and fast DKI scans in a rodent model of acute stroke, and compared the sensitivity of diffusivity and kurtosis indices (i.e. axial, radial and mean) in depicting acute ischemic lesions. In addition, we analyzed the contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) between the ipsilateral ischemic and contralateral normal regions using both conventional and fast DKI methods. We found that the mean kurtosis shows a relative change of 47.1 ± 7.3% between the ischemic and contralateral normal regions, being the most sensitive parameter in revealing acute ischemic injury. The two DKI methods yielded highly correlated diffusivity and kurtosis measures and lesion volumes (R² ? 0.90, p < 0.01). Importantly, the fast DKI method exhibited significantly higher CNR of mean kurtosis (1.6 ± 0.2) compared with the routine tensor protocol (1.3 ± 0.2, p < 0.05), with its CNR per unit time (CNR efficiency) approximately doubled when the scan time was taken into account. In conclusion, the fast DKI method provides excellent sensitivity and efficiency to image acute ischemic tissue damage, which is essential for image‐guided and individualized stroke treatment. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterisation of brain microstructural alterations in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome using diffusion kurtosis imaging

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common chronic sleep-related breathing disorder in children. Previous studies showed widespread alterations in white matter (WM) in children with OSA mainly by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), while diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) extended DTI and exhibited improved sensitivity in detecting developmental and pathological changes in neural tissues. Therefore, we conducted whole-brain DTI and DKI analyses and compared the differences in kurtosis and diffusion parameters within the skeleton between 41 children with OSA and 32 healthy children. Between-group differences were evaluated by tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis (p < 0.05, TFCE corrected), and partial correlations between DKI metrics and sleep parameters were assessed considering age and gender as covariates. Compared with the controls, children with OSA showed significantly decreased kurtosis fractional anisotropy (KFA) mainly in white matter regions with a complex fibre arrangement including the posterior corona radiate (PCR), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), while decreased FA in white matter regions with a coherent fibre arrangement including the posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC), anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), and corpus callosum (CC). Notably, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated the KFA value in complex tissue regions significantly (p < 0.001) differentiated children with OSA from the controls. In addition, the KFA value in the left PCR, SLF, and IFOF showed significant partial correlations to the sleep parameters for children with OSA. Combining DKI derived kurtosis and diffusion parameters can provide complementary neuroimaging biomarkers for assessing white matter alterations, and reveal pathological changes and monitor disease progression in paediatric OSA.     

Non-Gaussian water diffusion in aging white matter

Age-associated white matter degeneration has been well documented and is likely an important mechanism contributing to cognitive decline in older adults. Recent work has explored a range of noninvasive neuroimaging procedures to differentially highlight alterations in the tissue microenvironment. Diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) is an extension of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) that accounts for non-Gaussian water diffusion and can reflect alterations in the distribution and diffusion properties of tissue compartments. We used DKI to produce whole-brain voxel-based maps of mean, axial, and radial diffusional kurtoses, quantitative indices of the tissue microstructure's diffusional heterogeneity, in 111 participants ranging from the age of 33 to 91 years. As suggested from prior DTI studies, greater age was associated with alterations in white-matter tissue microstructure, which was reflected by a reduction in all 3 DKI metrics. Prominent effects were found in prefrontal and association white matter compared with relatively preserved primary motor and visual areas. Although DKI metrics co-varied with DTI metrics on a global level, DKI provided unique regional sensitivity to the effects of age not available with DTI. DKI metrics were additionally useful in combination with DTI metrics for the classification of regions according to their multivariate “diffusion footprint”, or pattern of relative age effect sizes. It is possible that the specific multivariate patterns of age-associated changes measured are representative of different types of microstructural pathology. These results suggest that DKI provides important complementary indices of brain microstructure for the study of brain aging and neurologic disease.     

Diffusion kurtosis imaging and log‐normal distribution function imaging enhance the visualisation of lesions in animal stroke models

In this work, we report a case study of a stroke model in animals using two methods of quantification of the deviations from Gaussian behaviour: diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and log‐normal distribution function imaging (LNDFI). The affected regions were predominantly in grey rather than in white matter. The parameter maps were constructed for metrics quantifying the apparent diffusivity (evaluated from conventional diffusion tensor imaging, DKI and LNDFI) and for those quantifying the degree of deviations (mean kurtosis and a parameter σ characterising the width of the distribution). We showed that both DKI and LNDFI were able to dramatically enhance the visualisation of ischaemic lesions in comparison with conventional methods. The largest relative change in the affected versus healthy regions was observed in the mean kurtosis values. The average changes in the mean kurtosis and σ values in the lesions were a factor of two to three larger than the relative changes observed in the mean diffusivity. In conclusion, the applied methods promise valuable perspectives in the assessment of stroke. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Leading non‐Gaussian corrections for diffusion orientation distribution function

An analytical representation of the leading non‐Gaussian corrections for a class of diffusion orientation distribution functions (dODFs) is presented. This formula is constructed from the diffusion and diffusional kurtosis tensors, both of which may be estimated with diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI). By incorporating model‐independent non‐Gaussian diffusion effects, it improves on the Gaussian approximation used in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This analytical representation therefore provides a natural foundation for DKI‐based white matter fiber tractography, which has potential advantages over conventional DTI‐based fiber tractography in generating more accurate predictions for the orientations of fiber bundles and in being able to directly resolve intra‐voxel fiber crossings. The formula is illustrated with numerical simulations for a two‐compartment model of fiber crossings and for human brain data. These results indicate that the inclusion of the leading non‐Gaussian corrections can significantly affect fiber tractography in white matter regions, such as the centrum semiovale, where fiber crossings are common. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diffusional kurtosis imaging and white matter microstructure modeling in a clinical study of major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a globally prevalent psychiatric disorder that results from disruption of multiple neural circuits involved in emotional regulation. Although previous studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) found smaller values of fractional anisotropy (FA) in the white matter, predominantly in the frontal lobe, of patients with MDD, studies using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) are scarce. Here, we used DKI whole‐brain analysis with tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS) to investigate the brain microstructural abnormalities in MDD. Twenty‐six patients with MDD and 42 age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects were enrolled. To investigate the microstructural pathology underlying the observations in DKI, a compartment model analysis was conducted focusing on the corpus callosum. In TBSS, the patients with MDD showed significantly smaller values of FA in the genu and frontal portion of the body of the corpus callosum. The patients also had smaller values of mean kurtosis (MK) and radial kurtosis (RK), but MK and RK abnormalities were distributed more widely compared with FA, predominantly in the frontal lobe but also in the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. Within the callosum, the regions with smaller MK and RK were located more posteriorly than the region with smaller FA. Model analysis suggested significantly smaller values of intra‐neurite signal fraction in the body of the callosum and greater fiber dispersion in the genu, which were compatible with the existing literature of white matter pathology in MDD. Our results show that DKI is capable of demonstrating microstructural alterations in the brains of patients with MDD that cannot be fully depicted by conventional DTI. Though the issues of model validation and parameter estimation still remain, it is suggested that diffusion MRI combined with a biophysical model is a promising approach for investigation of the pathophysiology of MDD.     

Diffusion tensor imaging of white matter in the superior temporal gyrus and temporal stem in autism

Recent MRI studies have indicated that regions of the temporal lobe including the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and the temporal stem (TS) appear to be abnormal in autism. In this study, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements of white matter in the STG and the TS were compared in 43 autism and 34 control subjects. DTI measures of mean diffusivity, fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity were compared between groups. In all regions, fractional anisotropy was significantly decreased and both mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity were significantly increased in the autism group. These results suggest that white matter microstructure in autism is abnormal in these temporal lobe regions, which is consistent with theories of aberrant brain connectivity in autism.     

Measuring healthy female nulliparous pubovisceral muscle from diffusion kurtosis imaging

This study explores the feasibility of using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in the pelvic floor region and assesses the water diffusivity of the pubovisceral muscle. Twenty-seven healthy young nulliparous females underwent DKI at 3.0 T that included 15 gradient directions and three b values (0, 750, and 1500 s/mm²). The diffusion tensor and diffusion kurtosis metrics values of the pubovisceral muscle were measured after image processing. Two independent sample t-tests, a paired-samples t-test, and a nonparametric hypothesis test were performed as appropriate to compare the differences among different metrics. Twenty-six subjects (mean ± standard deviation age, 25 ± 2 years) were successfully analyzed by measuring the diffusion tensor and diffusion kurtosis metrics of the bilateral pubovisceral muscles. The metrics included mean kurtosis, axial kurtosis, radial kurtosis, fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity. We found no statistically significant differences for these measurement values between the left and right pubovisceral muscles (p = 0.271–0.931). However, radial kurtosis was greater than axial kurtosis in both pubovisceral muscles (p < 0.001) and axial diffusivity was lower than radial diffusivity in both pubovisceral muscles (p < 0.001). We deem the application of DKI technology to the pelvic floor region to be feasible.