Validation of diffusion tensor MRI measurements of cardiac microstructure with structure tensor synchrotron radiation imaging

Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

Research

Irene Zanette¹  Marie-Christine Zdora²  Christoph Rau³  Craig A. Lygate⁴  Darryl McClymont⁴  Hannah J. Whittington⁴  Irvin Teh⁵  Jürgen E. Schneider⁵  Jack Lee⁶  Valentina Davidoiu⁶ 

[1] Diamond Light Source, Didcot, UK;Diamond Light Source, Didcot, UK;Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, UK;Diamond Light Source, Didcot, UK;University of Manchester, Manchester, UK;Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA;Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK;Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, London, UK;

关键词: Diffusion tensor imaging;    Structure tensor;    Synchrotron radiation imaging;    Cardiovascular magnetic resonance;    Validation;    Tissue microstructure;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12968-017-0342-x

 received in 2016-12-04, accepted in 2017-02-16,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDiffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is widely used to assess tissue microstructure non-invasively. Cardiac DTI enables inference of cell and sheetlet orientations, which are altered under pathological conditions. However, DTI is affected by many factors, therefore robust validation is critical. Existing histological validation is intrinsically flawed, since it requires further tissue processing leading to sample distortion, is routinely limited in field-of-view and requires reconstruction of three-dimensional volumes from two-dimensional images. In contrast, synchrotron radiation imaging (SRI) data enables imaging of the heart in 3D without further preparation following DTI. The objective of the study was to validate DTI measurements based on structure tensor analysis of SRI data.MethodsOne isolated, fixed rat heart was imaged ex vivo with DTI and X-ray phase contrast SRI, and reconstructed at 100 μm and 3.6 μm isotropic resolution respectively. Structure tensors were determined from the SRI data and registered to the DTI data.ResultsExcellent agreement in helix angles (HA) and transverse angles (TA) was observed between the DTI and structure tensor synchrotron radiation imaging (STSRI) data, where HADTI-STSRI = −1.4° ± 23.2° and TADTI-STSRI = −1.4° ± 35.0° (mean ± 1.96 standard deviation across all voxels in the left ventricle). STSRI confirmed that the primary eigenvector of the diffusion tensor corresponds with the cardiomyocyte long-axis across the whole myocardium.ConclusionsWe have used STSRI as a novel and high-resolution gold standard for the validation of DTI, allowing like-with-like comparison of three-dimensional tissue structures in the same intact heart free of distortion. This represents a critical step forward in independently verifying the structural basis and informing the interpretation of cardiac DTI data, thereby supporting the further development and adoption of DTI in structure-based electro-mechanical modelling and routine clinical applications.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017

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Fig. 1: The conceptual framework for adherence to treatment guidelines in private drug outlets in Kisumu, Kenya

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