title: Brain surface cortical sulcal lengths: quantification with three-dimensional MR imaging.
abstract: The repeatability and accuracy of brain surface cortical sulcal length measurements obtained with three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of volumetric, gradient-echo magnetic resonance (MR) images were tested. The brains of eight healthy adult volunteers and one cadaver were imaged in both the coronal and sagittal planes to yield a set of 128 1.5-2.0-mm-thick contiguous sections. 3D reconstructions of the brain cerebral cortical surfaces were obtained with computer software. Location and distance measurements of surface sulci were repeated on each reconstructed image. The same structures in the cadaver brain were independently measured with a 3D electromagnetic digitizer to validate the results of the 3D MR imaging method. All measurements from reconstructed images had high repeatability, and there were no statistically significant differences between measurement trials. The accuracy of measurements with 3D MR imaging was also good; the mean difference between digitizer and 3D MR measurements for sulcal lengths was 0.81 cm (average, 5.45-12.9 cm).
authors.affiliation: Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Vannier
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Brunsden
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Hildebolt
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Falk
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cheverud
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Figiel
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Perman
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Kohn
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Robb
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Yoffie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011873:Radiology Information Systems; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted