title: Automated white matter fiber tract identification in patients with brain tumors.
abstract: We propose a method for the automated identification of key white matter fiber tracts for neurosurgical planning, and we apply the method in a retrospective study of 18 consecutive neurosurgical patients with brain tumors. Our method is designed to be relatively robust to challenges in neurosurgical tractography, which include peritumoral edema, displacement, and mass effect caused by mass lesions. The proposed method has two parts. First, we learn a data-driven white matter parcellation or fiber cluster atlas using groupwise registration and spectral clustering of multi-fiber tractography from healthy controls. Key fiber tract clusters are identified in the atlas. Next, patient-specific fiber tracts are automatically identified using tractography-based registration to the atlas and spectral embedding of patient tractography. Results indicate good generalization of the data-driven atlas to patients: 80% of the 800 fiber clusters were identified in all 18 patients, and 94% of the 800 fiber clusters were found in 16 or more of the 18 patients. Automated subject-specific tract identification was evaluated by quantitative comparison to subject-specific motor and language functional MRI, focusing on the arcuate fasciculus (language) and corticospinal tracts (motor), which were identified in all patients. Results indicate good colocalization: 89 of 95, or 94%, of patient-specific language and motor activations were intersected by the corresponding identified tract. All patient-specific activations were within 3mm of the corresponding language or motor tract. Overall, our results indicate the potential of an automated method for identifying fiber tracts of interest for neurosurgical planning, even in patients with mass lesions.
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Institute for Surgical Technology and Biomechanics, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suter
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rigolo
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Pegah
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kahali
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Isaiah
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMEC), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Albi
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Olutayo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Olubiyi
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meola
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Walid I
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Essayed
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Prashin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Unadkat
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pelin Aksit
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Ciris
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Yogesh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rathi
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Carl-Fredrik
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Westin
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Alexandra J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Golby
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001271:Atlases as Topic; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D066264:Datasets as Topic; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Diffusion MRI; Fiber tract; Neurosurgery; Tractography; Tumor; White matter