University of Rochester researchers have developed software that measures the shape and branching of brain arteries in MRI scans with less manual work. The tool, called ArteryX, is meant for research into blood-vessel changes associated with conditions such as stroke and cognitive impairment; it is not yet a clinical test.
The software analyzes three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography images and calculates vessel length, width, volume, surface area, branching and curvature. In a comparison described by UR Medicine, the process took about 10 to 15 minutes of computer processing and user interaction, compared with roughly 90 minutes for a trained user with an existing tool called iCafe.
That comparison concerns research workflow, not a faster diagnosis for patients. Investigators still need to test how consistently ArteryX performs on scans from different machines and populations and whether its measurements help doctors assess risk or monitor disease.
Measuring a network that is hard to trace
Researchers can see brain arteries in specialized MRI scans, but turning the images into standardized measurements often requires people to trace vessels and correct errors. Small or closely spaced arteries are especially difficult to separate. Nasir Uddin, who led the NIH-funded project, said the software was designed to reduce that bottleneck and make measurements more reproducible.
The team evaluated ArteryX with scans from people with and without cerebral small vessel disease, a condition involving changes to small brain blood vessels. It found several differences in vessel measurements, including in smaller arteries, that the comparison tool did not detect. That does not establish that ArteryX can diagnose the disease or predict an individual patient’s outcome.
Abrar Faiyaz, a postdoctoral research associate in Uddin’s lab, is the first author of the study, published in Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. The researchers say more standardized measurements may make it easier to study larger groups and compare vascular changes across studies.
For now, ArteryX is available for academic research. The team is working to automate more of its analysis and may eventually combine structural measurements with information about blood flow. Any use in patient care would require further validation and proof that the results improve medical decisions.
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