Abstract

ROS MENDOZA, Luis H.; CUARTERO, Joaquín Martín; AVELLANAS, Elena Abril  and  OLMOS GASSO, Salvador. Anatomoradiologic study of cerebral nuclei caudate, putamen and pallidum by means of segmentation. Rev. argent. radiol. [online]. 2009, vol.73, n.4, pp.457-464. ISSN 1852-9992.

Introduction: Some encephalic structures are involved into the physiopathology of some neurologic and psychiatric entities. The different imaging modalities and the computer segmentation allow the opportunity of studying the possible relationship among them. Objective: To elaborate an anatomic atlas of the encephalic structures by means of MR images, evaluating in healthy patients the normal values of these structures, in order to apply them in the study of patients with neurologic or psychiatric pathologies to determine a possible relationship. Material and methods: Ten MR studies of healthy patients, analysed by two independents radiologists. Caudate, putamen and pallidum nuclei of both hemispheres were evaluated by means of the segmentation tool ITKSNAP. The maximum, minimum and medium volumes of the nuclei were determined, comparing both sides and the interobserver correlation. Results: The volumetric results for caudate nucleus (media) were: 4032 mm3 (+/-719'72), 4626'42 mm3 (+/-653'87) for the putamen and 1251'25 mm3 (+/-277'3) for the pallidum. The correlation index between the nucleus of both sides were of 0,974 for caudate, 0,946 for the putamen and 0,76 for the pallidum. The interobserver correlation indexes were 0,737, 0,919 and 0,082 respectively. Conclusions: Medical imaging segmentation, in this case MR, has a very promising future in order to analyse brain entities with morphometric or morphologic alterations. The obtained results in case of caudate, putamen and pallidum nuclei represent an initial key in order to establish the normal morphology and morphometry of these structures.

Keywords : Caudate; Basal ganglia; Pallidum; Putamen; Segmentation; SNAP.

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