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Diffusion tensor imaging: the normal evolution of ADC, RA, FA, and eigenvalues studied in multiple anatomical regions of the brain

  • Paediatric Neuroradiology
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Abstract

Introduction

The aim of our work was to investigate the process of myelination in healthy patients using the diffusion parameters apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), relative anisotropy (RA), fractional anisotropy (FA), and eigenvalues. Age-dependent changes were assessed using the slope m of the fit functions that best described the data.

Materials and methods

Seventy-two patients (3 weeks–19 years) without pathological magnetic resonance imaging findings were selected from all pediatric patients scanned with diffusion tensor imaging over a 5-year period at our institution. ADC, RA, FA, and eigenvalue maps were calculated and regions of interest were selected in anterior/posterior pons, genu/splenium of corpus callosum (CC), anterior/posterior limb of internal capsule (IC), and white matter (WM) regions (frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital WM). Statistical analysis was performed using Spearman correlation coefficient and regression analysis.

Results

Mean values ranged 71.6 × 10−5 to 90.3 × 10−5 mm2/s (pons/parietal WM) for ADC, 0.32–0.94 (frontal WM/CC) for RA, and 0.36–0.81 (frontal WM/splenium) for FA. Logarithmic fit functions best described the data. Strong age influences were observed for CC, pons, and parietal/frontal WM and changes were significant for all three eigenvalues, most pronounced for perpendicular eigenvalues. Changes in RA and FA differed depending on the structure anisotropy.

Conclusions

Changes observed for ADC, RA, FA, and eigenvalues with age were consistent with previous findings. Changes detected for RA and FA varied due to the different scaling of both parameters. We found that the use of the largely linear scaled RA adds more valuable information for the assessment of age-dependent structural changes as compared to FA. Additionally, we report normative values for the diffusion parameters studied.

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Acknowledgement

The authors want to thank Zoltán Patay, M.D., Ph.D. of the Department of Radiological Sciences at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA for his support during the preparation of this manuscript and many helpful discussions and suggestions for its improvement.

We wish to express our gratitude to Mehmet Kocak of the Department of Biostatistics at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA for the review of statistical data analysis and many helpful suggestions.

Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany

    Ulrike Löbel, Werner A. Kaiser & Hans-Joachim Mentzel

  2. Department of Radiological Sciences, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Mail Stop 220, Memphis, TN, 38105-2794, USA

    Ulrike Löbel & Jan Sedlacik

  3. Medical Physics Group, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany

    Jan Sedlacik, Daniel Güllmar & Jürgen R. Reichenbach

  4. Biomagnetic Center, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany

    Daniel Güllmar

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Correspondence to Ulrike Löbel.

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Löbel, U., Sedlacik, J., Güllmar, D. et al. Diffusion tensor imaging: the normal evolution of ADC, RA, FA, and eigenvalues studied in multiple anatomical regions of the brain. Neuroradiology 51, 253–263 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-008-0488-1

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