Department of Optoelectronics, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Trivandrum 695581, Kerala, India.
Eur J Radiol. 2013 Sep;82(9):1525-30. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2013.03.012. Epub 2013 May 7.
A quantitative volumetric analysis of caudate nucleus can provide valuable information in early diagnosis and prognosis of patients with Alzheimer's diseases (AD). Purpose of the study is to estimate the volume of segmented caudate nucleus from MR images and to correlate the variation in the segmented volume with respect to the total brain volume. We have also tried to evaluate the caudate nucleus atrophy with the age related atrophy of white matter (WM), gray matter (GM) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in a group of Alzheimer's disease patients.
3D fast low angle shot (3D FLASH) brain MR images of 15 AD patients, 15 normal volunteers and 15 patients who had normally diagnosed MR images were included in the study. Brain tissue and caudate nuclei were segmented using the statistical parametric mapping package and a semi-automatic tool, respectively and the volumes were estimated. Volume of segmented caudate nucleus is correlated with respect to the total brain volume. Further, the caudate nucleus atrophy is estimated with the age related atrophy of WM, GM and CSF in a group of AD patients.
Significant reduction in the caudate volume of AD patients was observed compared to that of the normal volunteers. Statistical analysis also showed significant variation in the volume of GM and CSF of AD patients. Among the patients who had normal appearing brain, 33% showed significant changes in the caudate volume. We hypothesize that these changes can be considered as an indication of early AD.
The method of volumetric analysis of brain structures is simple and effective way of early diagnosis of neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease. We have illustrated this with the observed changes in the volume of caudate nucleus in a group of patients. A detailed study with more subjects will be useful in correlating these results for early diagnosis of AD.
对尾状核进行定量容积分析可以为阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者的早期诊断和预后提供有价值的信息。本研究的目的是从磁共振图像中估计尾状核的体积，并将分割体积的变化与全脑体积相关联。我们还试图评估一组 AD 患者的尾状核萎缩与年龄相关的白质（WM）、灰质（GM）和脑脊液（CSF）萎缩的关系。
纳入 15 例 AD 患者、15 名正常志愿者和 15 名经正常诊断磁共振成像的患者的 3D 快速低角拍摄（3D FLASH）脑磁共振图像。使用统计参数映射包和半自动工具分别对脑组织和尾状核进行分割，并估计体积。分割的尾状核体积与全脑体积相关。此外，还在一组 AD 患者中估计了与 WM、GM 和 CSF 年龄相关的萎缩。
与正常志愿者相比，AD 患者的尾状核体积显著减少。统计分析还显示 AD 患者 GM 和 CSF 体积存在显著差异。在表现正常的患者中，有 33%的患者尾状核体积发生了显著变化。我们假设这些变化可以作为早期 AD 的指标。
脑结构容积分析方法是一种简单有效的早期诊断神经退行性疾病（如阿尔茨海默病）的方法。我们用一组患者尾状核体积的变化说明了这一点。对更多受试者进行详细研究将有助于对这些结果进行相关性分析，以进行 AD 的早期诊断。
