Fiber tracking in q-ball fields using regularized particle trajectories

Inf Process Med Imaging. 2005:19:52-63. doi: 10.1007/11505730_5.

Abstract

Most of the approaches dedicated to fiber tracking from diffusion-weighted MR data rely on a tensor model. However, the tensor model can only resolve a single fiber orientation within each imaging voxel. New emerging approaches have been proposed to obtain a better representation of the diffusion process occurring in fiber crossing. In this paper, we adapt a tracking algorithm to the q-ball representation, which results from a spherical Radon transform of high angular resolution data. This algorithm is based on a Monte-Carlo strategy, using regularized particle trajectories to sample the white matter geometry. The method is validated using a phantom of bundle crossing made up of haemodialysis fibers. The method is also applied to the detection of the auditory tract in three human subjects.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Artificial Intelligence*
  • Brain / cytology*
  • Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement / methods
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods*
  • Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / ultrastructure*
  • Pattern Recognition, Automated / methods*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity