The Gini coefficient: a methodological pilot study to assess fetal brain development employing postmortem diffusion MRI

作者：Viehweger Adrian^*; Riffert Till; Dhital Bibek; Knoesche Thomas R; Anwander Alfred; Stepan Holger; Sorge Ina; Hirsch Wolfgang

来源：Pediatric Radiology, 2014, 44(10): 1290-1301.

DOI：10.1007/s00247-014-3002-4

• Fetus
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• Brain development
• Postmortem
• Gini coefficient
• Proof-of-concept study
• Multidimensional
• Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is important in the assessment of fetal brain development. However, it is clinically challenging and time-consuming to prepare neuromorphological examinations to assess real brain age and to detect abnormalities. %26lt;br%26gt;To demonstrate that the Gini coefficient can be a simple, intuitive parameter for modelling fetal brain development. %26lt;br%26gt;Postmortem fetal specimens(n = 28) were evaluated by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) on a 3-T MRI scanner using 60 directions, 0.7-mm isotropic voxels and b-values of 0, 150, 1,600 s/mm(2). Constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD) was used as the local diffusion model. Fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and complexity (CX) maps were generated. CX was defined as a novel diffusion metric. On the basis of those three parameters, the Gini coefficient was calculated. %26lt;br%26gt;Study of fetal brain development in postmortem specimens was feasible using DWI. The Gini coefficient could be calculated for the combination of the three diffusion parameters. This multidimensional Gini coefficient correlated well with age (Adjusted R-2 = 0.59) between the ages of 17 and 26 gestational weeks. %26lt;br%26gt;We propose a new method that uses an economics concept, the Gini coefficient, to describe the whole brain with one simple and intuitive measure, which can be used to assess the brain%26apos;s developmental state.

• 出版日期2014-10