title: Fractal dimension analysis of cerebellum in Chiari Malformation type I.
abstract: Chiari Malformation type I (CM-I) is a serious neurological disorder that is characterized by hindbrain herniation. Our aim was to evaluate the usefulness of fractal analysis in CM-I patients. To examine the morphological complexity features of this disorder, fractal dimension (FD) of cerebellar regions were estimated from magnetic resonance images (MRI) of 17 patients with CM-I and 16 healthy control subjects in this study. The areas of white matter (WM), gray matter (GM) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were calculated and the corresponding FD values were computed using a 2D box-counting method in both groups. The results indicated that CM-I patients had significantly higher (p<0.05) FD values of GM, WM and CSF tissues compared to control group. According to the results of correlation analysis between FD values and the corresponding area values, FD and area values of GM tissues in the patients group were found to be correlated. The results of the present study suggest that FD values of cerebellar regions may be a discriminative feature and a useful marker for investigation of abnormalities in the cerebellum of CM-I patients. Further studies to explore the changes in cerebellar regions with the help of 3D FD analysis and volumetric calculations should be performed as a future work.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: enginakar@st.fatih.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sadık
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kara
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Medicana International Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hidayet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akdemir
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Adem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kırış
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001139:Arnold-Chiari Malformation / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D017709:Fractals; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cerebrospinal fluid; Chiari Malformation; Fractal dimension; Gray matter; Magnetic resonance imaging; White matter