Multicenter Measurements of T1 Relaxation and Diffusion Tensor Imaging: Intra and Intersite Reproducibility

Irene M Vavasour; Sandra M Meyers; Burkhard Mädler; Trudy Harris; Eric Fu; David K B Li; Anthony Traboulsee; Alex L MacKay; Cornelia Laule

doi:10.1111/jon.12559

Multicenter Measurements of T₁ Relaxation and Diffusion Tensor Imaging: Intra and Intersite Reproducibility

J Neuroimaging. 2019 Jan;29(1):42-51. doi: 10.1111/jon.12559. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

Authors

Irene M Vavasour¹, Sandra M Meyers², Burkhard Mädler³, Trudy Harris¹, Eric Fu⁴, David K B Li^{1

5}, Anthony Traboulsee⁵, Alex L MacKay^{1

2}, Cornelia Laule^{1

2

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, UBC MRI Research Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
² Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
³ Philips Healthcare, Hamburg, Germany.
⁴ Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
⁵ Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
⁶ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
⁷ International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

PMID: 30230638
DOI: 10.1111/jon.12559

Abstract

Background and purpose: Quantitative T₁ and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may provide information about pathological changes underlying disability and progression in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Imaging the corpus callosum (CC), a primary site of damage in MS with a critical role in interhemispheric connectivity, may be useful for assessing overall brain health, prognosis, and therapy efficacy. We assessed the feasibility of multisite clinical trials using advanced MRI by examining the intra and intersite reproducibility of T₁ and DTI measurements in the CC and segmented white matter (WM).

Methods: Five healthy volunteers were scanned twice within 24 hours at six 3T sites. Coefficients of variation (COVs) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for CC and WM T₁ , fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (D_ax ), and radial diffusivity (D_rad ) assessed intrasite and intersite reliability.

Results: CC and WM T₁ showed excellent intrasite reproducibility with low COVs (mean = .90% and .89%, respectively) and good ICCs (CC = .78, WM = .90). T₁ also demonstrated intersite reliability (low COVs: CC = 2.4%, WM = 1.8%; moderate ICCs: CC = .43, WM = .69). DTI had low intrasite COVs (CC: FA = 1.3%, MD = 1.5%, D_ax = 1.4%, D_rad = 2.2%; WM: FA = .9%, MD = .9%, D_ax = .7%, D_rad = 1.2%) and high intrasite ICCs (CC: FA = .95, MD = .97, D_ax = .94, D_rad = .97; CC: FA = .9, MD = .66, D_ax = .88, D_rad = .63), indicating excellent intrasite reproducibility. DTI also showed excellent intersite reliability with low COVs (CC: FA = 2.1%, MD = 4.1%, D_ax = 3.4%, D_rad = 5.3%, WM: FA = 1.3%, MD = 1.9%, D_ax = 1.8%, D_rad = 2.1%,) and good ICCs (CC: FA = .90, MD = .84, D_ax = .72, D_rad = .90; WM: FA = .83, MD = .34, D_ax = .62, D_rad = .41).

Conclusions: T₁ and DTI measures are reproducible using equivalent MRI scanners and sequence protocols. Using a similar MR system, it is feasible to carry out multicenter studies using T₁ and DTI to evaluate changes within the CC and WM.

Keywords: Magnetic resonance imaging; T1 relaxation; corpus callosum; diffusion tensor imaging; reproducibility.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Anisotropy
Brain / diagnostic imaging*
Diffusion Tensor Imaging / methods*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Reproducibility of Results
White Matter / diagnostic imaging*
Young Adult

Grants and funding

Sanofi-Genzyme Corporation/International