Tubers are neither static nor discrete: Evidence from serial diffusion tensor imaging.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the extent and evolution of tissue abnormality of tubers, perituber tissue, and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex using serial diffusion tensor imaging.

Methods

We applied automatic segmentation based on a combined global-local intensity mixture model of 3T structural and 35 direction diffusion tensor MRIs (diffusion tensor imaging) to define 3 regions: tuber tissue, an equal volume perituber rim, and the remaining NAWM. For each patient, scan, lobe, and tissue type, we analyzed the averages of mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) in a generalized additive mixed model.

Results

Twenty-five patients (mean age 5.9 years; range 0.5-24.5 years) underwent 2 to 6 scans each, totaling 70 scans.

SUBMITTER: Peters JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4642145 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature