@article{ATM34386,
author = {Shuang Yan and Tianyi Qian and Bénédicte Maréchal and Tobias Kober and Xianchang Zhang and Jinxia Zhu and Jing Lei and Mingli Li and Zhengyu Jin},
title = {Test-retest variability of brain morphometry analysis: an investigation of sequence and coil effects},
journal = {Annals of Translational Medicine},
volume = {8},
number = {1},
year = {2020},
keywords = {},
abstract = {Background: Precise and reliable brain morphometry analysis is critical for clinical and research purposes. The magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo (MPRAGE), multi-echo MPRAGE (MEMPRAGE) and magnetization-prepared 2 rapid acquisition gradient echo (MP2RAGE) sequences have all been used to acquire brain structural images, but it is unclear which of these sequences is the most suitable for brain morphometry and whether the number of coil channels (20 or 32) affects scan precision. This study aimed to assess the impact of T1-weighted image acquisition variables (sequence and head coil) on the repeatability of resultant automated volumetric measurements.
Methods: Twenty-four healthy volunteers underwent back-to-back scanning protocols with three sequences and two different coils (i.e., six scanning conditions in total) presented in a randomized order in a single session. MorphoBox prototype and FreeSurfer were used for brain segmentation. Brain structures were divided into cortical and subcortical regions for more precise analysis. The acquired volume and thickness values were used to calculate test-retest variability (TRV) values. TRV values from the six different combinations were compared for total brain structures, total cortical structures, total subcortical structures, and every single structure.
Results: The median TRV value for all brain regions was 1.23% with MorphoBox and 3.14% with FreeSurfer. When using FreeSurfer results to compare the six combinations, for total brain structures volume and total cortical structures volume and thickness, the MEMPRAGE-32 channel combination showed significantly lower TRV values than the others (P},
issn = {2305-5847}, url = {https://atm.amegroups.org/article/view/34386}
}