title: White matter fiber tracking computation based on diffusion tensor imaging for clinical applications.
abstract: Fiber tracking allows the in vivo reconstruction of human brain white matter fiber trajectories based on magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (MR-DTI), but its application in the clinical routine is still in its infancy. In this study, we present a new software for fiber tracking, developed on top of a general-purpose DICOM (digital imaging and communications in medicine) framework, which can be easily integrated into existing picture archiving and communication system (PACS) of radiological institutions. Images combining anatomical information and the localization of different fiber tract trajectories can be encoded and exported in DICOM and Analyze formats, which are valuable resources in the clinical applications of this method. Fiber tracking was implemented based on existing line propagation algorithms, but it includes a heuristic for fiber crossings in the case of disk-shaped diffusion tensors. We successfully performed fiber tracking on MR-DTI data sets from 26 patients with different types of brain lesions affecting the corticospinal tracts. In all cases, the trajectories of the central spinal tract (pyramidal tract) were reconstructed and could be applied at the planning phase of the surgery as well as in intraoperative neuronavigation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroradiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany. dellani@uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: Paulo R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Dellani
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.forename: Paulo R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Wille
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vucurevic
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stadie
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bauermann
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tropine
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perneczky
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Wangenheim
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stoeter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D016880:Anisotropy; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000473:pathology*; D011859:Radiography; D012984:Software