ExploreASL: an image processing pipeline for multi-center ASL perfusion MRI studies

Henk J. M. M. Mutsaerts; Jan Petr; Paul F. C. Groot; Pieter Vandemaele; Silvia Ingala; Andrew D. Robertson; Lena Václavů; Inge Rasmus Groote; Hugo J. Kuijf; Fernando O. Zelaya; Owen O’Daly; Saima Hilal; Alle Meije Wink; Ilse  M.J. Kant; Matthan W.A. Caan; Catherine Morgan; Jeroen de Bresser; Elisabeth Kirkeby Lysvik; Anouk Schrantee; Astrid Bjørnebekk; Patricia Clement; Zahra Shirzadi; Joost P.A. Kuijer; Viktor Wottschel; Udunna Anazodo; Dasja Pajkrt; Edo Richard; Reinoud P.H. Bokkers; Liesbeth Reneman; Mario Masellis

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117031

NeuroscienceNeuroImageJun 8, 2020

Peer-reviewed journal article

ExploreASL: an image processing pipeline for multi-center ASL perfusion MRI studies

Henk J. M. M. Mutsaerts iD, Jan Petr iD, Paul F. C. Groot iD, Pieter Vandemaele, Silvia Ingala iD, Andrew D. Robertson iD, Lena Václavů iD, Inge Rasmus Groote iD, Hugo J. Kuijf iD, Fernando O. Zelaya iD, Owen O’Daly iD, Saima Hilal iD, Alle Meije Wink iD, Ilse M.J. Kant iD, Matthan W.A. Caan iD, Catherine Morgan iD, Jeroen de Bresser iD, Elisabeth Kirkeby Lysvik iD, Anouk Schrantee iD, Astrid Bjørnebekk iD, Patricia Clement iD, Zahra Shirzadi iD, Joost P.A. Kuijer iD, Viktor Wottschel iD, Udunna Anazodo iD, , Frederik Barkhof iD

Abstract

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) has undergone significant development since its inception, with a focus on improving standardization and reproducibility of its acquisition and quantification. In a community-wide effort towards robust and reproducible clinical ASL image processing, we developed the software package ExploreASL, allowing standardized analyses across centers and scanners. The procedures used in ExploreASL capitalize on published image processing advancements and address the challenges of multi-center datasets with scanner-specific processing and artifact reduction to limit patient exclusion. ExploreASL is self-contained, written in MATLAB and based on Statistical Parameter Mapping (SPM) and runs on multiple operating systems. The toolbox adheres to previously defined international standards for data structure, provenance, and best analysis practice. ExploreASL was iteratively refined and tested in the analysis of >10,000 ASL scans using different pulse-sequences in a variety of clinical populations, resulting in four processing modules: Import, Structural, ASL, and Population that perform tasks, respectively, for data curation, structural and ASL image processing and quality control, and finally preparing the results for statistical analyses on both single-subject and group level. We illustrate ExploreASL processing results from three cohorts: perinatally HIV-infected children, healthy adults, and elderly at risk for neurodegenerative disease. We show the reproducibility for each cohort when processed at different centers with different operating systems and MATLAB versions, and its effects on the quantification of gray matter cerebral blood flow. ExploreASL facilitates the standardization of image processing and quality control, allowing the pooling of cohorts to increase statistical power and discover between-group perfusion differences. Ultimately, this workflow may advance ASL for wider adoption in clinical studies, trials, and practice.

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