ABSTRACT
This study aimed to correlate whole brain volume measurements with MRI in patients with Alzheimer disease and the same Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) but different levels of education. We describe the procedure we used to create 3D models of the brain from MRI images in patients with Alzheimer disease and then took volumetric measurements of the whole brain parenchyma. After this procedure we correlated the total brain volume measurements in patients with six or fewer years of education with those who had at least 12 years of education. Twenty patients with Alzheimer disease were examined with MRI. All of them had an MMSE score between 21 and 24 and were classified as mild Alzheimer disease. Ten of the patients had at least six years of education and the remaining ten had more than 12 years of education. The examinations were done by using a Siemens Expert Plus system of 1T and the MR images were studied using an automatic algorithm. The MRI images were segmented into grey, white matter and CSF. We then measured the volume of each component and classified those in each patient in relation to years of education. The whole procedure was completed successfully in 20 patients. After the volumetric study of the total brain volume by calculating separately grey matter, white matter and CSF, we classified the patients and made the correlation between those with six or fewer years of education and those with twelve or more years of study. Correlating the whole brain volume measurements of patients with Alzheimer disease and the same MMSE but different levels of education showed that there is no significant difference between the total brain volume of the two groups of our study.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to describe the procedure we use to create 3D models of the brain parenchyma from MRI images and calculate the volume of the whole brain and different compartments of the brain in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The utility of the 3D models and volumetric measurements of the whole brain parenchyma and different brain structures is discussed. Thirty-six patients with Alzheimer's disease were examined during the last six months with MRI. Fourteen of them were men and 22 were women. The patients were between 53 and 67 years old. MR images were studied using an automatic algorithm. The images from MRI were segmented and then three-dimensional models of brain were produced to calculate the brain volume and the volume of the white matter, gray matter and CSF separately. The whole procedure was completed successfully in 34 patients. The procedure was unsuccessful in two patients due to movement artifacts in MR images. It is relatively easy to create 3D models of MR images and to obtain volumetric studies. If this procedure is adjusted in patients with Alzheimer's disease, we can provide information more clearly and accurately than single images alone. The information obtained can be used in daily clinical practice such as pharmaceutical treatment planning and results or in basic clinical research.
