Application of Automatic Subregion Segmentation in Perfusion Evaluation of Hippocampal Sclerosis based on Arterial Spin Labeling

Motivation: Evaluating the hippocampal volume and perfusion level is important in the diagnosis of hippocampal sclerosis (HS). However, further observation at the subregion level is difficult. Goal(s): To investigate the alterations in hippocampal subregion volume and blood flow in HS patients with an automatic segmentation procedure. Approach: T1-MPRAGE and 3D-pCASL images were automatically segmented to quantify the hippocampal subregion volume and blood flow. The diagnostic performance of these subregion quantitative metrics in HS were statistically analyzed. Results: The volume (VCA1) and blood flow (CBFCA1) of CA1 region are independent factors in diagnosing HS. The combination of VCA1 and CBFCA1 has the highest diagnostic performance. Impact: The combination of automatic segmentation and arterial spin labeling offers a quantitative imaging foundation for diagnosing hippocampal sclerosis at the subregion level. This scheme can also be applied to other MR techniques to improve the diagnostic effectiveness in hippocampal research.