Publications

This paper describes a unified approach to the detection of point landmarks-whose neighborhoods convey discriminant information-including multidimensional scalar, vector, and higher-order tensor data. The method is based on the interpretation of generalized correlation matrices derived from the gradient of tensor functions, a probabilistic interpretation of point landmarks, and the application of tensor algebra. Results on both synthetic and real tensor data are presented.

A surgical guidance and visualization system is presented, which uniquely integrates capabilities for data analysis and on-line interventional guidance into the setting of interventional MRI. Various pre-operative scans (T1- and T2-weighted MRI, MR angiography, and functional MRI (fMRI)) are fused and automatically aligned with the operating field of the interventional MR system. Both pre-surgical and intra-operative data may be segmented to generate three-dimensional surface models of key anatomical and functional structures. Models are combined in a three-dimensional scene along with reformatted slices that are driven by a tracked surgical device. Thus, pre-operative data augments interventional imaging to expedite tissue characterization and precise localization and targeting. As the surgery progresses, and anatomical changes subsequently reduce the relevance of pre-operative data, interventional data is refreshed for software navigation in true real time. The system has been applied in 45 neurosurgical cases and found to have beneficial utility for planning and guidance. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;13:967-975.

A novel method for resampling and enhancing image data using multidimensional adaptive filters is presented. The underlying issue that this paper addresses is segmentation of image structures that are close in size to the voxel geometry. Adaptive filtering is used to reduce both the effects of partial volume averaging by resampling the data to a lattice with higher sample density and to reduce the image noise level. Resampling is achieved by constructing filter sets that have subpixel offsets relative to the original sampling lattice. The filters are also frequency corrected for ansisotropic voxel dimensions. The shift and the voxel dimensions are described by an affine transform and provides a model for tuning the filter frequency functions. The method has been evaluated on CT data where the voxels are in general non cubic. The in-plane resolution in CT image volumes is often higher by a factor of 3-10 than the through-plane resolution. The method clearly shows an improvement over conventional resampling techniques such as cubic spline interpolation and sinc interpolation.

A new parallel imaging technique was implemented which can result in reduced image acquisition times in MRI. MR data is acquired in parallel using an array of receiver coils and then reconstructed simultaneously with multiple processors. The method requires the initial estimation of the 2D sensitivity profile of each coil used in the receiver array. These sensitivity profiles are then used to partially encode the images of interest. A fraction of the total number of k-space lines is consequently acquired and used in a parallel reconstruction scheme, allowing for a substantial reduction in scanning and display times. This technique is in the family of parallel acquisition schemes such as simultaneous acquisition of spatial harmonics (SMASH) and sensitivity encoding (SENSE). It extends the use of the SMASH method to allow the placement of the receiver coil array around the object of interest, enabling imaging of any plane within the volume of interest. In addition, this technique permits the arbitrary choice of the set of k-space lines used in the reconstruction and lends itself to parallel reconstruction, hence allowing for real-time rendering. Simulated results with a 16-fold increase in temporal resolution are shown, as are experimental results with a 4-fold increase in temporal resolution.

The signal decay with increasing b-factor at fixed echo time from brain tissue in vivo has been measured using a line scan Stejskal-Tanner spin echo diffusion approach in eight healthy adult volunteers. The use of a 175 ms echo time and maximum gradient strengths of 10 mT/m allowed 64 b-factors to be sampled, ranging from 5 to 6000 s/ mm2, a maximum some three times larger than that typically used for diffusion imaging. The signal decay with b-factor over this extended range showed a decidedly non-exponential behavior well-suited to biexponential modeling. Statistical analyses of the fitted biexponential parameters from over 125 brain voxels (15 x 15 x 1 mm3 volume) per volunteer yielded a mean volume fraction of 0.74 which decayed with a typical apparent diffusion coefficient around 1.4 microm2/ms. The remaining fraction had an apparent diffusion coefficient of approximately 0.25 microm2/ms. Simple models which might explain the non-exponential behavior, such as intra- and extracellular water compartmentation with slow exchange, appear inadequate for a complete description. For typical diffusion imaging with b-factors below 2000 s/mm2, the standard model of monoexponential signal decay with b-factor, apparent diffusion coefficient values around 0.7 microm2/ms, and a sensitivity to diffusion gradient direction may appear appropriate. Over a more extended but readily accessible b-factor range, however, the complexity of brain signal decay with b-factor increases, offering a greater parametrization of the water diffusion process for tissue characterization.

Apparent diffusion tensor maps of the human brain were acquired with a magnetic resonance imaging sequence (Gudbjartsson, H., Maier, S.E., Mulkern, R.V., M6rocz, I.A., Patz, S., Jolesz, F.A., Magn. Reson. Med. 36 (1996) 509-519). It was shown that the geometric nature of the apparent diffusion tensors can quantitatively characterize the tissue structure. Display of the orientation and directional uniformity of the water diffusion in the brain demonstrated most of the known major anatomical constituents of human white matter. A comparison of corresponding anatomic regions in the white matter of both hemispheres in 24 healthy volunteers revealed that fiber tracts within the anterior limb of the internal capsule have a significantly higher (P < 0.01) measure of alignment in the right hemisphere. This method offers a unique tool for the in vivo demonstration of neural connectivity in healthy and diseased brain.

As welfare diseases become more common all over the world the demand for angiography examinations is increasing rapidly. The development of advanced medical signal processing methods has with few exceptions been concentrated towards CT and MR while traditional contrast based radiology depend on methods developed for ancient photography techniques despite the fact that angiography sequences are generally recorded in digital form. This article presents a new approach for processing of angiography sequences based on advanced image processing methods. The developed algorithm automatically processes angiography sequences containing motion artifacts that cannot be processed by conventional methods like digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and pixel shift due to non uniform motions. The algorithm can in simple terms be described as an ideal pixelshift filter carrying out shifts of different directions and magnitude according to the local motions in the image. In difference to conventional methods it is fully automatic, no mask image needs to be defined and the manual pixelshift operations, which are extremely time consuming, are eliminated. The algorithm is efficient and robust and is designed to run on standard hardware of a powerful workstation which excludes the need for expensive dedicated angiography platforms. Since there is no need to make additional recordings if the patient moves, the patient is exposed to less amount of radiation and contrast fluid. The most exciting benefits by this method are, however, that it opens up new areas for contrast based angiography that are not possible to process with conventional methods e.g. nonuniform motions and multiple layers of moving tissue. Advanced image processing methods provide significantly better image quality and noise suppression but do also provide the means to compute flow velocity and visualize the flow dynamics in the arterial trees by e.g. using color. Initial tests have proven that it is possible to discriminate capillary blood flow from angiography data which opens up interesting possibilities for estimating the blood flow in the heart muscle without use of nuclear methods.

In recent neuromorphological investigations and in studying the passage, as an addition to nuclei of the auditory system so called "parabrachial area" was subjected to a special comparative cytoarchitectonic investigation and terminological definition, since the term "parabrachial nucleus" has already been reserved in neuromorphology to designate other brain formations. The investigation has demonstrated that the term "nucleus of the inferior quadrigemina brachium" is more suitable to the form studied. This nucleus has been stated to penetrate deeply into the inferior tuberculum corpori quadrigemina, unlike the previous notion according to which it was believed to be situated between the internal geniculate body and the inferior tuberculum corpori quadrigemina. Therefore, two parts have been distinguished in the formation in question, inherent to all the mammalia studied, including the man. One of them—extracollicular portion, though it has not been previously studied from the view of comparative architectonics, nevertheless, it has been described in literature. The other—intracollicular portion is described for the first time in the work. In spite of a close topographic-anatomical proximity with the inferior corpora quadrigemina, the intracollicular portion of the nucleus cannot be a derivative from the latter.

The serious long-term complications of maintenance antipsychotic therapy led the authors to undertake a critical review of outpatient withdrawal studies. Key findings included the following: 1) for a least 40% of outpatient schizophrenics, drugs seem to be essential for survival in the community; 2) the majority of patients who relapse after drug withdrawal recompensate fairly rapidly upon reinstitution of antipsychotic drug therapy; 3) placebo survivors seem to function as well as drug survivors—thus the benefit of maintenance drug therapy appears to be prevention of relapse; and 4) some cases of early relapse after drug withdrawal may be due to dyskinesia rather than psychotic decompensation. The authors urge clinicians to evaluate each patient on maintenance antipsychotic therapy in terms of feasibility of drug withdrawal and offer practical guidelines for withdrawal and subsequent management.