Novel Imaging Software Aids Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases

A new software platform quantifies magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers to support early diagnosis and clinical monitoring of central nervous system (CNS) degenerative disorders.

Qynapse (Paris, France) QyScore software is designed to provide automatic segmentation, labeling, visualization, and volumetric quantification of brain structures such as grey matter, white matter, hippocampus, amygdala, and white matter hyperintensities from a set of MRI scans. Outputs include an electronic report and color overlays of the segmentation on the input images, displayed in a dedicated graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the user to browse segmentations, compare the results to a reference healthy population, and read and edit a PDF report.

QyScore integrates with radiology information system (RIS) and picture archiving and communication system (PACS), and can be operated with MRI scans from 1.5T and 3T scanners for T1 MRI processing, and 3T scanners for T2-weighed fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) processing. Quantification and brain segmentation are based on a probabilistic atlas and image intensity information, and volume calculations of the segmented brain structures, with the volumes normalized to allow for the statistical comparison with normative datasets.

“QyScore makes a difference for the diagnosis of dementias at an early stage of the disease when it remains a challenge,” said professor of neurology Bruno Dubois, MD, director of the Memory and Alzheimer's Disease Institute at Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital (Paris, France). “The automatic quantification of markers such as brain atrophy, white matter hyperintensities, and more, provides highly valuable help to support a timely diagnosis and an efficient monitoring of disease progression.”

Quantitative analysis of MRI data has become useful in both research and clinical studies, and crucial for the diagnosis and disease monitoring of patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, or vascular dementia. These pathologies are characterized by the presence of white matter or lesions, detectable on MRI scans as hyperintense areas on T2-weighed FLAIR images.

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Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital