Texture analysis of hippocampal sclerosis.
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is frequently associated with refractory seizures and pathologic features of hippocampal sclerosis (HS). Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques can improve the detection and quantification of HS. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether MRI texture analysis can detect hippocampal abnormalities in patients with pathologically proven HS.


METHODS
Nineteen consecutive patients who underwent surgery for refractory unilateral MTLE and had HS diagnosed on histopathology (12 right and seven left) had their preoperative MRIs evaluated. We performed texture analysis in 3-mm coronal T1-IR MRIs, focusing on the hippocampal head, by using the software MAZDA. Data were compared with those of a group of 78 normal hippocampi from 39 healthy adult volunteers through multivariate analysis of variance and selection of the most significant texture parameters.


RESULTS
Overall, almost all parameters of texture could discriminate the group of hippocampi with HS and the group of contralateral hippocampi from the group of normal hippocampi, but the post hoc comparison showed no differences between HS and contralateral hippocampi.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide evidence of texture alteration in MRIs of hippocampi with HS and corroborate the hypothesis of bilaterality of hippocampal damage in patients with MTLE, but further studies are needed to investigate the lateralization power of texture analysis.
Bonilha
Leonardo
L
Department of Neurology, Medical School, State University of Campinas, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, CEP 13083-970, Brazil.
Kobayashi
Eliane
E
Castellano
Gabriela
G
Coelho
Giselle
G
Tinois
Eduardo
E
Cendes
Fernando
F
Li
Li M
LM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D019277:Entropy; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012598:Sclerosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology