Imaging analysis techniques and endpoints

 

PREPROCESSING

 

  • Transfer and storage of MRI scans from various MRI acquisition centers
  • Preprocessing per scan, including:
  • Image sorting
  • Inhomogeneity correction
  • Noise reduction
  • Conversion of image format
  • Coregistration

 

 

LESION MEASURES

 

  • Calculation of lesion activity (new, enlarging, recurrent, persistent) and scan activity
  • Calculation of old and new DWI ischemic lesions
  • Calculation of supra-threshold ischemic lesion (SCIL) volume
  • Calculation of number and volume of gadolinium (GD) enhancing lesions
  • Calculation of number and volume of ultra small particle iron oxide (USPIO) enhancing lesions
  • Calculation of number and volume of T2 lesions
  • Calculation of number and volume of T1 hypointense lesions
  • Calculation of cortical lesions on high-field and ultra-high field MRI
  • Calculation of slowly expanding lesions (SEL)
  • Calculation of atrophied lesion volume
  • Calculation of lesion morphology
  • Calculation of lesion spatial distribution
  • Calculation of lesion histogram matching
  • Calculation of voxel-wise based dynamic lesion changes
  • Vascular and anatomical territorial analysis
  • Calculation of real-world lesion outcomes by using AI

 

 

ATROPHY MEASURES

 

  • Calculation of cross-sectional and longitudinal brain atrophy, gray, and white matter, cortical atrophy
  • Calculation of regional parenchyma brain atrophy (Freesurfer, VBM)
  • Calculation of regional linear atrophy measures (third ventricular width, bicaudate ratio, lateral ventricular volume, and callosal atrophy)
  • Calculation of real-world brain and spinal cord atrophy outcomes by using AI

 

 

MAGNETIZATION TRANSFER MEASURES

 

  • Calculation of magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) in different tissue compartments
  • Calculation of myelin water fraction (MWF) in different tissue compartments
  • Calculation of myelin maps using synthetic MRI

 

 

DIFFUSION IMAGING MEASURES

 

  • Calculation of mean diffusivity
  • Calculation of entropy
  • Calculation of fractional anisotropy
  • Calculation of axial and radial diffusivity
  • Calculation of free water
  • Calculation of tractography measures
  • Calculation of DTI along perivascular space (DTI-ALPS)

 

 

PERFUSION IMAGING MEASURES

 

  • Calculation of mean transit time
  • Calculation of cerebral blood flow
  • Calculation of cerebral blood volume

 

 

SPECTROSCOPY IMAGING MEASURES

 

  • Calculation of N-acetyl aspartate
  • Calculation of GABA and glutamate
  • Calculation of stem cell peak
  • Calculation of choline
  • Calculation of creatine
  • Calculation of other lipid peaks

 

 

fMRI MEASURES

 

  • Record onset times/ behavioral data
  • Processing utilizing SPM software
  • Preprocessing (realignment, slice timing correction, coregistration, normalization and smoothing)
  • Calculation of activated voxels
  • Individual analyses (scan montages and MNI coordinates)
  • Group analyses (scan montage and MNI coordinates)
  • Small Volume Correction (limit analysis to interest areas)
  • Overlap maps (the summary of binary maps extracted from individual data)
  • Correlational Analyses
  • Incorporation of phase correction/ field maps
  • Anatomical labels utilizing Talairach
  • fMRI for purposes of presurgical planning
  • Calculation of M real-world disconnectivity outcomes by using AI

 

 

QUANTITATIVE SUSCEPTIBILITY IMAGING  MEASURES

 

  • MRI Iron measure analysis
  • Paramagnetic rim lesions (PRL)
  • Cerebral microbleeds

 

 

CEREBROSPINAL FLUID IMAGING MEASURES

 

  • Net Flow
  • Retrograde flow
  • Antegrade flow
  • Peak retrograde velocity
  • Peak antegrade velocity
  • Aqueduct axis length

 

 

SPINAL CORD MEASURES

 

  • Calculation of number and volume of T2, T1, and enhancing lesions
  • Calculation of spinal cord atrophy
  • Calculation of magnetization transfer ratio
  • Calculation of spinal cord diffusion measures

 

 

OPTIC NERVE MEASURES

 

  • Calculation of number and volume of T2, T1, and enhancing lesions
  • Calculation of optic nerve atrophy
  • Calculation of magnetization transfer ratio
  • Calculation of optic nerve diffusion measures (mean diffusivity,fractional anisotropy, and entropy)

 

 

OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY MEASURES

 

  • Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness (RNFLT)
  • Total Macular Volume (TMV)
  • Macular Ganglion-Cell-Internal Plexiform (GICP) Layer Thickness
  • Inner Neural Layer (INL) Thickness

 

 

PET MEASURES

 

  • Standard uptake value ratio (SUVR)
  • Distribution volume ratio (DVR)
  • Calculation of abnormal regions
  • Fusion with MR and/or CT imaging

 

 

DOPPLER MEASURES

 

  • Internal Jugular Veins
  • CSA measured in upright and supine position
  • ΔCSA calculated difference between supine and upright CSA
  • Velocity measured at point of CSA measurement
  • Vertebral Veins
  • AP diameter measured between cervical processes
  • Velocity measured at point of AP diameter measurement
  • Volume calculation
  • Third Ventricle
  • Width of third ventricle measured in upright and supine position
  • Calculation of ΔIII Ventricle - difference between supine and upright width
  • Straight Sinus
  • Velocity measured

 

 

OTHER SERVICES

 

  • PET-MRI combined analysis
  • SPECT-MRI combined analysis
  • Development of MRI software programs, web-based programs, and slide animations