Fractional anisotropy in MRI as an indicator of reversible pathology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10827946-B2
Application number	US-201615756221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2016
Priority date	Aug 31, 2015
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method for determining whether brain regions of interest having reversible or irreversible pathology. The method includes acquiring over a predetermined period of time a plurality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images for each brain region of interest; analyzing the MRI images to obtain quantitative measurements of the fractional anisotropy (FA) for each brain region of interest and determining that brain regions of interest have reversible pathology when the measured FA increases and then decreases over the predetermined period of time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining for a mammalian subject that has suffered vasogenic edema whether the subject has brain regions of interest having reversible or irreversible vasogenic edema comprising the steps of: acquiring over a predetermined period of time a plurality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images for each brain region of interest; analyzing said MRI images to obtain quantitative measurements of the fractional anisotropy (FA) for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time; and determining that brain regions of interest have reversible vasogenic edema when said measured FA increases and then decreases over said predetermined period of time.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of acquiring a plurality of T2 weighted images over said predetermined period of time for each brain region of interest, analyzing said T2 weighted images to obtain quantitative measurements of the intensity of each image for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time, and determining that brain regions of interest have reversible vasogenic edema when said measured T2 weighted image intensity increases and then decreases over said predetermined period of time.

3. The method of claim 2 further including the steps of acquiring a plurality of apparent diffusion coefficient values over said predetermined period of time for each brain region of interest, analyzing said apparent diffusion coefficient values to obtain quantitative measurements of the diffusion coefficient value for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time, and determining that brain regions of interest have reversible vasogenic edema when said measured apparent diffusion coefficient values increase and then decrease over said predetermined period of time.

4. The method of claim 3 further including the steps of acquiring a plurality of radial diffusivity values over said predetermined period of time for each brain region of interest, analyzing said radial diffusivity values to obtain quantitative measurements of the radial diffusivity value for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time, and determining that brain regions of interest have reversible vasogenic edema when said measured radial diffusivity values remain the same or decrease over said predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein FA increases by 10 to 50 percent in white and gray matter and returns to original levels.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein FA is measured to indicate the acute phase of reversible vasogenic brain edema.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein FA is measured to determine damage to both white and gray tracts of the brain.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein FA is measured to determine damage to white tracts of the brain.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein FA is measured to determine damage to gray tracts of the brain.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein FA is measured to examine brain lesions.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein FA is measured to determine IgG leakage.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein FA is to determine leakage from blood vessels of plasma components that accumulate between the myelin sheaths and compress the myelinated axons.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein FA is measured by MR-DTI to detect reversible vasogenic edema.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein FA is measured to locate areas of the brain intervention.

15. A methodology that measures FA increase as a marker for reversibility and conserved myelination.

16. A method for determining for a mammalian subject that has suffered vasogenic edema whether the subject has brain regions of interest having reversible or irreversible vasogenic edema comprising the steps of: acquiring over a predetermined period of time 1) a plurality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images for each brain region of interest; analyzing said MRI images to obtain quantitative measurements of the fractional anisotropy (FA) for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time; 2) acquiring a plurality of T2 weighted images over said predetermined period of time for each brain region of interest, analyzing said T2 weighted images to obtain quantitative measurements of the intensity of each image for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time; 3) acquiring a plurality of apparent diffusion coefficient values over said predetermined period of time for each brain region of interest, analyzing said apparent diffusion coefficient values to obtain quantitative measurements of the diffusion coefficient value for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time; 4) acquiring a plurality of radial diffusivity values over said predetermined period of time for each brain region of interest, analyzing said radial diffusivity values to obtain quantitative measurements of the radial diffusivity value for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time; and 5) determining that brain regions of interest have reversible vasogenic edema when said measured FA, said T2 weighted image intensity and said diffusion coefficient values increase and then decreases over said predetermined period of time and said measured radial diffusivity values remain the same or decrease over said predetermined period of time.

17. The methods of claim 16 wherein FA increases by 10 to 50 percent in white and gray matter and returns to original levels.

18. A method for determining whether brain regions of interest having reversible or irreversible pathology comprising the steps of: acquiring over a predetermined period of time a plurality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images for each brain region of interest; analyzing said MRI images to obtain quantitative measurements of the fractional anisotropy (FA) for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time; and determining that brain regions of interest have reversible pathology when said measured FA increases and then decreases over said predetermined period of time.

19. The method of claim 18 further including the steps of acquiring a plurality of T2 weighted images over said predetermined period of time for each brain region of interest, analyzing said T2 weighted images to obtain quantitative measurements of the intensity of each image for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time, and determining that brain regions of interest have reversible pathology when said measured T2 weighted image intensity increases and then decreases over said predetermined period of time.

20. The method of claim 19 further including the steps of acquiring a plurality of apparent diffusion coefficient values over said predetermined period of time for each brain region of interest, analyzing said apparent diffusion coefficient values to obtain quantitative measurements of the diffusion coefficient value for each brain region of interest over said predetermined period of time, and determining that brain regions of interest have a reversible pathology when said measured apparent diffusion coefficient values increase and then decrease over said predetermined period of time.

21. The method of claim 20 further including the steps of acquiring a plurality of radial diffusivity values over said predetermined period of time for each brain region of interest, analyzing said radial diffusivity values to obtain quantitative measurements of the radial diffusivity value for each brain r

Assignees

• Stc Unm
• Unm Rainforest Innovations

Inventors

• Kimura-Ohba Shihoko
• Sillerud Laurel

Classifications

• A61B5/055 Primary

  involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging · CPC title

• G06T7/48

  using fractals · CPC title

• A61B6/03

  Computed tomography [CT] · CPC title

• A61B2576/026

  for the brain · CPC title

• G06T7/0012

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title