RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Synthetic MRI and MR Fingerprinting–Derived Relaxometry of Antenatal Human Brainstem Myelination: A Postmortem-Based Quantitative Imaging Study
JF American Journal of Neuroradiology
JO Am. J. Neuroradiol.
FD American Society of Neuroradiology
DO 10.3174/ajnr.A8337
A1 Schmidbauer, Victor U.
A1 Houech, Intesar-Victoria Malla
A1 Malik, Jakob
A1 Watzenboeck, Martin L.
A1 Mittermaier, Rebecca
A1 Kienast, Patric
A1 Haberl, Christina
A1 Pogledic, Ivana
A1 Mitter, Christian
A1 Dovjak, Gregor O.
A1 Krauskopf, Astrid
A1 Prayer, Florian
A1 Stuempflen, Marlene
A1 Dorittke, Tim
A1 Gantner, Nikolai A.
A1 Binder, Julia
A1 Bettelheim, Dieter
A1 Kiss, Herbert
A1 Haberler, Christine
A1 Gelpi, Ellen
A1 Prayer, Daniela
A1 Kasprian, Gregor
YR 2024
UL http://www.ajnr.org/content/early/2024/07/11/ajnr.A8337.abstract
AB BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The radiologic evaluation of ongoing myelination is currently limited prenatally. Novel quantitative MR imaging modalities provide relaxometric properties that are linked to myelinogenesis. In this retrospective postmortem imaging study, the capability of Synthetic MR imaging and MR fingerprinting–derived relaxometry for tracking fetal myelin development was investigated. Moreover, the consistency of results for both MR approaches was analyzed.MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 26 cases, quantitative postmortem fetal brain MR data were available (gestational age range, 15 + 1 to 32 + 1; female/male ratio, 14/12). Relaxometric measurements (T1-/T2-relexation times) were determined in the medulla oblongata and the midbrain using Synthetic MR imaging/MR fingerprinting–specific postprocessing procedures (Synthetic MR imaging and MR Robust Quantitative Tool for MR fingerprinting). The Pearson correlations were applied to detect relationships between T1-relaxation times/T2-relaxation times metrics and gestational age at MR imaging. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the consistency of the results provided by both modalities.RESULTS: Both modalities provided quantitative data that revealed negative correlations with gestational age at MR imaging: Synthetic MR imaging–derived relaxation times (medulla oblongata [r = −0.459; P = .021]; midbrain [r = −0.413; P = .040]), T2-relaxation times (medulla oblongata [r = −0.625; P < .001]; midbrain [r = −0.571; P = .003]), and MR fingerprinting–derived T1-relaxation times (medulla oblongata [r = −0.433; P = .035]; midbrain [r = −0.386; P = .062]), and T2-relaxation times (medulla oblongata [r =−0.883; P < .001]; midbrain [r = −0.890; P < .001]).The intraclass correlation coefficient analysis for result consistency between both MR approaches ranged between 0.661 (95% CI, 0.351–0.841) (T2-relaxation times: medulla oblongata) and 0.920 (95% CI, 0.82–0.965) (T1-relaxation times: midbrain).CONCLUSIONS: There is a good-to-excellent consistency between postmortem Synthetic MR imaging and MR fingerprinting myelin quantifications in fetal brains older than 15 + 1 gestational age. The strong correlations between quantitative myelin metrics and gestational age indicate the potential of quantitative MR imaging to identify delayed or abnormal states of myelination at prenatal stages of cerebral development.GAgestational ageICCintraclass correlation coefficientMBPmyelin basic proteinMDMEmultidynamic multiechoMRFMR fingerprintingSSFPsteady-state free precessionT1RT1-relaxation timesT2RT2-relaxation times