Application of Multi-Tensor Tract-Based Analysis (MTTA) with Routine Clinical Diffusion MRI

Virendra Mishra¹, Hao Huang¹

Single tensor fractional anisotropy (FA) values are significantly underestimated at the crossing-fiber regions. Single tensor FA, therefore, is biased in characterizing white matter integrity in clinical research. Tract analysis has obtained recent attention as individual white matter tracts have more clinical significance. In this abstract, we further explored an MTTA technique capable of restoring the FA values of the targeted tract along its path while correcting the bias in single tensor FA. Specifically, we directly tested MTTA with in vivo diffusion MRI acquired in routine clinical research and proposed weighted FA at the crossing-fiber voxels as an unbiased anisotropy metric.