Acquisition guidelines and quality assessment tools for analyzing neonatal diffusion tensor MRI data

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2013 Aug;34(8):1496-505. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3465. Epub 2013 Mar 21.

Abstract

Diffusion tensor imaging is a valuable measure in clinical settings to assess diagnosis and prognosis of neonatal brain development. However, obtaining reliable images is not straightforward because of the tissue characteristics of the neonatal brain and the high likelihood of motion artifacts. In this review, we present guidelines on how to acquire DTI data of the neonatal brain and recommend high-quality data acquisition and processing as an essential means to obtain accurate and robust parametric maps. Sudden head movements are problematic for DTI in neonates, and these may lead to incorrect values. We describe strategies to minimize the corrupting effects both in terms of acquisition (eg, more gradient directions) and postprocessing (eg, tensor estimation methods). In addition, tools are described that can help assess whether a dataset is of sufficient quality for further assessment.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Artifacts*
  • Brain / anatomy & histology*
  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging / methods*
  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging / standards*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement / methods*
  • Image Enhancement / standards*
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Netherlands
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic
  • Quality Assurance, Health Care / methods*
  • Quality Assurance, Health Care / standards