title: Reliability of the corticospinal tract and arcuate fasciculus reconstructed with DTI-based tractography: implications for clinical practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the reliability of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based fibre tractography (FT), which is a prerequisite for clinical applications of this technique. Here we assess the test-retest reproducibility of the architectural and microstructural features of two clinically relevant tracts reconstructed with DTI-FT.
  
  
  METHODS
  The corticospinal tract (CST), arcuate fasciculus (AF) and its long segment (AFl) were reconstructed in 17 healthy subjects imaged twice using a deterministic approach. Coefficients of variation (CVs) of diffusion-derived tract values were used to assess the microstructural reproducibility. Spatial correlation and fibre overlap were used to assess the architectural reproducibility.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Spatial correlation was 68 % for the CST and AF, and 69 % for the AFl. Overlap was 69 % for the CST, 61 % for the AF, and 59 % for the AFl. This was comparable to 2-mm tract shift variability. CVs of diffusion-derived tract values were at most 3.4 %.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results showed low architectural and microstructural variability for the reconstruction of the tracts. The architectural reproducibility results encourage the further investigation of the use of DTI-FT for neurosurgical planning. The high microstructural reproducibility results are promising for using DTI-FT in neurology to assess or predict functional recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, The Netherlands, g.kristo@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kristo
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leemans
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: de Gelder
authors.forename: Mathijs
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raemaekers
authors.forename: Geert-Jan
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Rutten
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ramsey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008297:Male; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results