Title
Opportunities and pitfalls in the quantification of fiber integrity: What can we gain from Q-ball imaging?
Abstract
The quantification of fiber integrity is central to the clinical application of diffusion imaging. Compared to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), Q-ball imaging (QBI) allows for the depiction of multiple fiber directions within a voxel. However, this advantage has not yet been shown to translate directly to superior quantification of fiber integrity. Furthermore, recent developments in QBI reconstruction with solid angle consideration have led to sharper and intrinsically normalized orientation distribution functions. The implications of this technique on quantification are also unknown. To investigate this, the generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA) from the original and the more recent QBI reconstruction scheme and the DTI derived fractional anisotropy (FA) were evaluated comparatively using Monte Carlo simulations and real MRI measurements of crossing fiber phantoms. Contrast-to-noise ratio, accuracy, independence of the acquisition setup and the relation of single fiber anisotropies to measured anisotropy in crossings were assessed. In homogeneous single-fiber regions at b-values around 1000 s/mm2, the FA performed best. While the original QBI reconstruction does not show a clear advantage even at higher b-values and in crossing regions, the new reconstruction scheme yields superior properties and is recommended for quantification at higher b-values and especially in regions of heterogeneous fiber configuration.
Year
DOI
Venue
2010
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.02.007
NeuroImage
Keywords
Field
DocType
Diffusion anisotropy indices,Q-ball imaging,Diffusion tensor imaging,Diffusion weighted imaging,Quantification,Diffusion phantom,Contrast-to-noise ratio,Fiber crossings
Voxel,Monte Carlo method,Diffusion MRI,Anisotropy,Fiber,Fractional anisotropy,Algorithm,Cognitive psychology,Contrast-to-noise ratio,Mathematics,Solid angle
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
51
1
1053-8119
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
13
0.77
18
Authors
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Klaus H. Fritzsche1130.77
Frederik B. Laun2594.90
Meinzer Hans-Peter3130.77
Stieltjes Bram4131.11