Connecting macroscopic diffusion metrics of cardiac diffusion tensor imaging and microscopic myocardial structures based on simulation

•Propose cardiac diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) simulation using Bloch equation and Monte Carlo random walking method based on realistic myocardium model reconstructed from polarized light imaging (PLI) data of whole human hearts.•Match cardiac DTI simulation and real DTI acquisitions of the same he...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical image analysis 2022-04, Vol.77, p.102325-102325, Article 102325
Main Authors: Wang, Lihui, Hong, Yao, Qin, Yong-Bin, Cheng, Xin-Yu, Yang, Feng, Yang, Jie, Zhu, Yue-Min
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anisotropy
Benchmarking
Bloch equation
Brownian motion
Computer Science
Constraint modelling
Diameters
Diffusion
Diffusion Tensor Imaging - methods
Diffusivity
DTI
Heart
Heart - diagnostic imaging
Heterogeneity
Humans
Imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging
Medical Imaging
Myocardium
Myocytes
Polarized light
Polarized light imaging
Random walk
Simulation
Tensors
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Summary:•Propose cardiac diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) simulation using Bloch equation and Monte Carlo random walking method based on realistic myocardium model reconstructed from polarized light imaging (PLI) data of whole human hearts.•Match cardiac DTI simulation and real DTI acquisitions of the same hearts.•Investigate relationships between microscopic myocardial structures and macroscopic DTI measurements. [Display omitted] To investigate the relationship between microscopic myocardial structures and macroscopic measurements of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we proposed a cardiac DTI simulation method using the Bloch equation and the Monte Carlo random walk in a realistic myocardium model reconstructed from polarized light imaging (PLI) data of the entire human heart. To obtain a realistic simulation, with the constraints of prior knowledge pertaining to the maturational change of the myocardium structure, appropriate microstructure modeling parameters were iteratively determined by matching DTI simulations and real acquisitions of the same hearts in terms of helix angle, fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) maps. Once a realistic simulation was obtained, we varied the extra-cellular volume (ECV) ratio, myocyte orientation heterogeneity and myocyte size, and explored the effects of microscopic changes in tissue structure on macroscopic diffusion metrics. The experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of simulating the DTI of the whole heart using PLI measurements. When varying ECV from 15% to 55%, mean FA decreased from 0.55 to 0.26, axial diffusivity increased by 0.6 μm2/ms, and radial diffusivity increased by 0.7 μm2/ms. When orientation heterogeneity was varied from 0 to 20∘, mean FA decreased from 0.4 to 0.3, axial diffusivity decreased by 0.08 μm2/ms, and radial diffusivity increased by 0.03 μm2/ms. When mean diameter of myocytes was varied from 6 μm to 10 μm, FA decreased from 0.67 to 0.46, axial and radial diffusivities increased by 0.05 and 0.2 μm2/ms, respectively.
ISSN:1361-8415
1361-8423
DOI:10.1016/j.media.2021.102325