A texture analysis method for MR images of airway dilator muscles: a feasibility study.
OBJECTIVE
Airway dilator muscles play an important role in the analysis of breathing-related symptoms, such as obstructive sleep apnoea. Texture analysis (TA) provides a new non-invasive method for analysing airway dilator muscles. In this study, we propose a TA methodology for airway dilator muscles and prove the robustness of this method.


METHODS
15 orthognathic surgery patients underwent 3-T MRI. Computerized TA was performed on 20 regions of interest (ROIs) in the patients' airway dilator muscles. 53 texture parameters were calculated for all ROIs. The robustness of the TA method was analysed by altering the locations, sizes and shapes of the ROIs.


RESULTS
Our study shows that there is significant difference in TA results as the size or shape of ROI changes. The change of location of the ROI inside the studied muscle does not affect the TA results.


CONCLUSIONS
The TA method is valid for airway dilator muscles. We propose a methodology in which the number of co-occurrence parameters is reduced by using mean values from four different directions (0°, 45°, 90° and 135°) with pixel spacing of 1 pixel.
1 Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland.
P
P
Kölhi
J
J
Järnstedt
M
M
Sikiö
J
J
Viik
P
P
Dastidar
T
T
Peltomäki
H
H
Eskola
D000328:Adult; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D056948:Orthognathic Surgical Procedures; D010156:Palatal Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D010609:Pharyngeal Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult
Computer-assisted image analysis; magnetic resonance imaging; palatal muscles; pharyngeal muscles; pterygoid muscles