Age-related study of brachial plexus MRI contrast to noise ratio and diffusion tensor imaging values in normal adults
10.3760/cma.j.cn112149-20191031-00875
- VernacularTitle:正常成年人臂丛神经MRI对比噪声比及扩散张量成像参数与年龄的相关性研究
- Author:
Yufan CHEN
1
;
Shanshan WANG
;
Cong SUN
;
Hong TANG
;
Wenshuang ZHANG
;
Aocai YANG
;
Guangbin WANG
Author Information
1. 山东大学附属山东省医学影像学研究所，济南 250021
- From:
Chinese Journal of Radiology
2020;54(11):1095-1100
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the correlation of age with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) values as fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) of three-dimensional nerve-sheath signal increased with inked rest-tissue rapid acquisition of relaxation imaging (3D SHINKEI) of the brachial plexus in normal adults.Methods:A total of 54 adult healthy volunteers and 6 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome were prospectively enrolled from October 2018 to April 2019. Healthy volunteers were divided into 3 groups according to age as 21-40 years old group ( n=20), 41-60 years old group ( n=20), and ≥61 years old group ( n=14). All of them underwent MRI examination of the brachial plexus, including DTI and 3D SHINKEI sequences. The average FA and ADC values of the brachial plexus were measured and calculated through the fusion of DTI and 3D SHINKEI by 2 physicians independently. The contrast to noise ratio (CNR) of brachial plexus nerve was measured in 3D SHINKEI sequence images. Intraclass correlation efficient (ICC) was used to analyze the consistency between the two physicians. A simple linear regression model and Pearson correlation analysis were used to detect the correlation between FA, ADC, CNR and age. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the differences of FA, ADC and CNR in different age groups. The FA and ADC values in different genders were compared by independent sample t-test. Results:Inter-observer agreements of the 2 physicians were good for FA and ADC values with ICC values of 0.811 and 0.901, respectively. For different groups, FA values were 0.397±0.023, 0.368±0.023, and 0.334±0.018 and ADC values were (1.376±0.072) × 10 -3 mm 2/s, (1.466±0.086) × 10 -3 mm 2/s, (1.486±0.080) × 10 -3 mm 2/s, for 21-40, 41-60, and ≥61 years old groups, respectively with statistical significant difference ( F=25.311, P<0.001; F=9.948, P<0.001). The CNR of the brachial plexus were 510.583±192.846, 502.581±128.821, and 426.782±113.648 for 21-40, 41-60, and ≥61 years old group without statistical difference ( F=1.429, P=0.249). The FA value of brachial plexus was highly negatively correlated with age ( r=-0.745, P<0.001), while the ADC value was moderately positively correlated with age ( r=0.596, P<0.001). The CNR of 3D SHINKEI sequence was negatively correlated with age ( r=-0.292, P=0.033). There was no statistically significant difference in brachial plexus FA and ADC values between male and female subjects ( t=1.496, P=0.141; t=-1.557, P=0.126). The FA value of Guillain-Barre syndrome patients was lower than that of healthy volanteers in the same age group ( t=6.129, P<0.001), and the ADC value had no statistical diference ( t=-1.335, P=0.186). Conclusion:The values of FA, ADC and CNR of brachial plexus in normal adults change with age. Among them, FA value is more significant.
