Comparison of visual and automatic quantitative measurement results on 3D volumetric mri in multiple sclerosis patients

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, demyelinating disease in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently used in the diagnosis and treatment process. Atrophy and plaque counting in the brain can be measured quantitatively with 3-dimensional (3D) MRI examinations. This study aims to determine the results of automatic, quantitative measurements of 3D volumetric MRIs in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients, to compare the consistency with the visual, semi-quantitative evaluation results made by the radiologists. 46 patients who were diagnosed with RRMS between 01/03/2018 and 31/12/2020 in the neurology outpatient clinic of our hospital, were clinically stable in their follow-up, had at least two 3D MRIs without artifacts constituted the study group. A neuroradiologist, a radiologist experienced in neuroradiology, and VolBrain software evaluated the patients' brain volumes, plaque numbers, and differences in follow-up MRIs. The mean age of 21 female and 25 male patients was 40.4 ± 8.8 years; the mean total brain volume was 1127 ± 137.63 mm3. A high level of agreement was found between the radiologists in terms of whole-brain volume differences between the two MRIs, which was not statistically significant (95.7%; K = -0.002; p = 0.88). There was no agreement between VolBrain and radiologists (K = -0.043; p = 0.333). Regarding the plaque number analysis; a high level and statistically significant agreement among radiologists (87%; K = 0.665; p [Med-Science 2021; 10(2.000): 498-501]

Keywords

• multiple sclerosis
• mri
• volumetric
• atrophy
• plaque