Neural Fiber Integrity in High-Versus Low-Grade Glioma using Probabilistic Fiber Tracking

Rationale and Objectives: Gliomatous tumors are known to affect neural fiber integrity, either by displacement or destruction. The aim of this study is to investigate the integrity and distribution of the white matter tracts within and around the glioma regions using probabilistic fiber tracking. Material and Methods: Forty-two glioma patients were subjected to MRI using a standard tumor protocol with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The tumor and peritumor regions were delineated using snake model with reference to structural and diffusion MRI. A preprocessing pipeline of the structural MRI image, DTI data, and tumor regions was implemented. Tractography was performed to delineate the white matter (WM) tracts in the selected tumor regions via probabilistic fiber tracking. DTI indices were investigated through comparative mapping of WM tracts and tumor regions in low-grade gliomas (LGG) and high-grade gliomas (HGG). Results: Significant differences were seen in the planar tensor (C-p) in peritumor regions; mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity and pure isotropic diffusion in solid-enhancing tumor regions; and fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity, pure anisotropic diffusion (q), total magnitude of diffusion tensor (L), relative anisotropy, C-p and spherical tensor (C-s) in solid nonenhancing tumor regions for affected WM tracts. In most cases of HGG, the WM tracts were not completely destroyed, but found intact inside the tumor. Discussion: Probabilistic fiber tracking revealed the existence and distribution of WM tracts inside tumor core for both LGG and HGG groups. There were more DTI indices in the solid nonenhancing tumor region, which showed significant differences between LGG and HGG.

Automated summary

This study investigated the integrity and distribution of white matter tracts within and around glioma regions using probabilistic fiber tracking. Significant differences were found in affected white matter tracts, with intact tracts often observed inside the tumor in high-grade gliomas. The results suggest that there are differences in diffusion tensor imaging indices between low-grade and high-grade gliomas, particularly in solid nonenhancing tumor regions.