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Neuroimaging Outside of the Brain Laboratory

Tractography dissection variability: What happens when 42 groups dissect 14 white matter bundles on the same dataset?

AUTHORS

Schilling KGKurt G , Rheault FFrançois , Petit LLaurent , Hansen CBColin B , Nath VVishwesh , Yeh FCFang-Cheng , Girard GGabriel , Barakovic MMuhamed , Rafael-Patino JJonathan , Yu TThomas , Fischi-Gomez EElda , Pizzolato MMarco , Ocampo-Pineda MMario , Schiavi SSimona , Canales-Rodríguez EJErick J , Daducci AAlessandro , Granziera CCristina , Innocenti GGiorgio , Thiran JPJean-Philippe , Mancini LLaura , Wastling SStephen , Cocozza SSirio , Petracca MMaria , Pontillo GGiuseppe , Mancini MMatteo , Vos SBSjoerd B , Vakharia VNVejay N , Duncan JSJohn S , Melero HHelena , Manzanedo LLidia , Sanz-Morales EEmilio , Peña-Melián ÁÁngel , Calamante FFernando , Attyé AArnaud , Cabeen RPRyan P , Korobova LLaura , Toga AWArthur W , Vijayakumari AAAnupa Ambili , Parker DDrew , Verma RRagini , Radwan AAhmed , Sunaert SStefan , Emsell LLouise , De Luca AAlberto , Leemans AAlexander , Bajada CJClaude J , Haroon HHamied , Azadbakht HHojjatollah , Chamberland MMaxime , Genc SSila , Tax CMWChantal M W , Yeh PHPing-Hong , Srikanchana RRujirutana , Mcknight CDColin D , Yang JYJoseph Yuan-Mou , Chen JJian , Kelly CEClaire E , Yeh CHChun-Hung , Cochereau JJerome , Maller JJJerome J , Welton TThomas , Almairac FFabien , Seunarine KKKiran K , Clark CAChris A , Zhang FFan , Makris NNikos , Golby AAlexandra , Rathi YYogesh , O'Donnell LJLauren J , Xia YYihao , Aydogan DBDogu Baran , Shi YYonggang , Fernandes FGFrancisco Guerreiro , Raemaekers MMathijs , Warrington SShaun , Michielse SStijn , Ramírez-Manzanares AAlonso , Concha LLuis , Aranda RRamón , Meraz MRMariano Rivera , Lerma-Usabiaga GGarikoitz , Roitman LLucas , Fekonja LSLucius S , Calarco NNavona , Joseph MMichael , Nakua HHajer , Voineskos ANAristotle N , Karan PPhilippe , Grenier GGabrielle , Legarreta JHJon Haitz , Adluru NNagesh , Nair VAVeena A , Prabhakaran VVivek , Alexander ALAndrew L , Kamagata KKoji , Saito YYuya , Uchida WWataru , Andica CChristina , Abe MMasahiro , Bayrak RGRoza G , Wheeler-Kingshott CAMGClaudia A M Gandini , D'Angelo EEgidio , Palesi FFulvia , Savini GGiovanni , Rolandi NNicolò , Guevara PPamela , Houenou JJosselin , López-López NNarciso , Mangin JFJean-François , Poupon CCyril , Román CClaudio , Vázquez AAndrea , Maffei CChiara , Arantes MMavilde , Andrade JPJosé Paulo , Silva SMSusana Maria , Calhoun VDVince D , Caverzasi EEduardo , Sacco SSimone , Lauricella MMichael , Pestilli FFranco , Bullock DDaniel , Zhan YYang , Brignoni-Perez EEdith , Lebel CCatherine , Reynolds JEJess E , Nestrasil IIgor , Labounek RRené , Lenglet CChristophe , Paulson AAmy , Aulicka SStefania , Heilbronner SRSarah R , Heuer KKatja , Chandio BQBramsh Qamar , Guaje JJavier , Tang WWei , Garyfallidis EEleftherios , Raja RRajikha , Anderson AWAdam W , Landman BABennett A , Descoteaux MMaxime . NeuroImage. 2021 08 22; 243(). 118502

ABSTRACT

White matter bundle segmentation using diffusion MRI fiber tractography has become the method of choice to identify white matter fiber pathways in vivo in human brains. However, like other analyses of complex data, there is considerable variability in segmentation protocols and techniques. This can result in different reconstructions of the same intended white matter pathways, which directly affects tractography results, quantification, and interpretation. In this study, we aim to evaluate and quantify the variability that arises from different protocols for bundle segmentation. Through an open call to users of fiber tractography, including anatomists, clinicians, and algorithm developers, 42 independent teams were given processed sets of human whole-brain streamlines and asked to segment 14 white matter fascicles on six subjects. In total, we received 57 different bundle segmentation protocols, which enabled detailed volume-based and streamline-based analyses of agreement and disagreement among protocols for each fiber pathway. Results show that even when given the exact same sets of underlying streamlines, the variability across protocols for bundle segmentation is greater than all other sources of variability in the virtual dissection process, including variability within protocols and variability across subjects. In order to foster the use of tractography bundle dissection in routine clinical settings, and as a fundamental analytical tool, future endeavors must aim to resolve and reduce this heterogeneity. Although external validation is needed to verify the anatomical accuracy of bundle dissections, reducing heterogeneity is a step towards reproducible research and may be achieved through the use of standard nomenclature and definitions of white matter bundles and well-chosen constraints and decisions in the dissection process.