Ali Murat Koc, Neslihan Eskut, Ozgur Sipahi Esen, Asli Koskderelioglu, Ismail Dilek

Comparison of visual and automatic quantitative measurement results on 3D volumetric mri in multiple sclerosis patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, demyelinating disease in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently used in the diagnosis and treatment process. Atrophy and plaque counting in the brain can be measured quantitatively with 3-dimensional (3D) MRI examinations. This study aims to determine the results of automatic, quantitative measurements of 3D volumetric MRIs in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients, to compare the consistency with the visual, semi-quantitative evaluation results made by the radiologists. 46 patients who were diagnosed with RRMS between 01/03/2018 and 31/12/2020 in the neurology outpatient clinic of our hospital, were clinically stable in their follow-up, had at least two 3D MRIs without artifacts constituted the study group. A neuroradiologist, a radiologist experienced in neuroradiology, and VolBrain software evaluated the patients' brain volumes, plaque numbers, and differences in follow-up MRIs. The mean age of 21 female and 25 male patients was 40.4 ± 8.8 years; the mean total brain volume was 1127 ± 137.63 mm3. A high level of agreement was found between the radiologists in terms of whole-brain volume differences between the two MRIs, which was not statistically significant (95.7%; K = -0.002; p = 0.88). There was no agreement between VolBrain and radiologists (K = -0.043; p = 0.333). Regarding the plaque number analysis; a high level and statistically significant agreement among radiologists (87%; K = 0.665; p

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