title: Optic radiations evaluation in patients affected by high-grade gliomas: a side-by-side constrained spherical deconvolution and diffusion tensor imaging study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The need to improve surgical efficacy in patients affected by high-grade gliomas has led to development of advanced pre-surgical MRI-based techniques such as tractography. This study investigates pre-surgical planning of optic radiations (ORs) in patients affected by occipito-temporo-parietal high-grade gliomas, by means of constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve patients with occipito-temporo-parietal high-grade gliomas were recruited and analyzed using a 3 T MRI scanner. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was conducted with 64 gradient diffusion directions. OR alterations were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively to evaluate the effectiveness of CSD- and DTI-based pre-surgical planning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CSD-based tractography provided better qualitative evaluation of affected white matter tracts when compared to DTI; by thresholding tractographic probabilistic maps coming from all reconstructions, we detected, at the highest cutoff level, OR involvement in 75 % of patients (vs 41.67 % of patients with probabilistic DTI). Quantitative analysis of diffusion parameters revealed a statistically significant decrease in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the affected side following CSD-based reconstructions; on the contrary, DTI-based reconstructions did not show any significant quantitative alteration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed improvement in pre-surgical planning of high-grade gliomas involving ORs with use of CSD-based tractography. This technique provided more useful information regarding the white matter spatial relationship with brain neoplasm and its involvement in the glioma, when compared to DTI. Using CSD model for OR evaluation may optimize safe surgical resection margins, helping to reduce risk of post-operative visual deficits.
authors: Department of Biomedical Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, 1 c/o A.O.U. Policlinico "G. Martino", 98125, Messina, Italy.|Department of Neurology - Icahn School of Medicine, New York, Mount Sinai, USA.
authors: Enricomaria
authors: E
authors: Mormina
authors: Department of Biomedical Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, 1 c/o A.O.U. Policlinico "G. Martino", 98125, Messina, Italy. alessandro.arrigo@hotmail.com.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Arrigo
authors: Department of Neurosciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Calamuneri
authors: Department of Neurosciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors: Concetta
authors: C
authors: Alafaci
authors: Department of Neurosciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Tomasello
authors: Department of Biomedical Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, 1 c/o A.O.U. Policlinico "G. Martino", 98125, Messina, Italy.
authors: Rosa
authors: R
authors: Morabito
authors: IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Messina, Italy.
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Marino
authors: Department of Biomedical Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, 1 c/o A.O.U. Policlinico "G. Martino", 98125, Messina, Italy.
authors: Marcello
authors: M
authors: Longo
authors: Department of Biomedical Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, 1 c/o A.O.U. Policlinico "G. Martino", 98125, Messina, Italy.
authors: Sergio Lucio
authors: SL
authors: Vinci
authors: Department of Biomedical Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, 1 c/o A.O.U. Policlinico "G. Martino", 98125, Messina, Italy.
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Granata
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Constrained spherical deconvolution; Diffusion tensor imaging; High-grade glioma; Optic radiations; Pre-surgical planning