@entity6795 ( @entity6795 ) are a recognized cause of @entity302 . Their special significance lies in the fact that, once detected and delineated, they are amenable to surgical removal. However, diagnosis from high-resolution MRI is still difficult, time-consuming, and highly dependent on individual expertise. We have recently proposed a simple procedure to detect @entity6795 , using automated procedures available within SPM99 (Wellcome Department, University College London, UK). Here, we aimed to systematically determine the best combination of processing parameters, using an optimized voxel-based morphometry approach. We included 20 @entity1 with a known @entity6795 and compared them to a normal database of 53 healthy, age- and gender-matched controls. The approaches taken during spatial normalization and a number of other parameters were systematically altered in order to find the best combination of parameters. Overall, 99 different approaches were evaluated in different ways. As far as possible, automatic processing and evaluation steps were used. With the number of candidate regions for @entity6795 limited to five per @entity1 , the best approaches resulted in the correct identification of up to 16 of 20 @entity600 . However, a number of approaches failed to perform well. The reasons for these failures and the implications this has for other studies are discussed. We conclude that voxel-based morphometry is able to detect cortical @entity600 with a high degree of accuracy. However, specific problems seem to arise when using an optimized protocol for voxel-based morphometry, indicating that this protocol may not be optimal for all voxel-based studies on brain morphology. Our approach, involving systematic alterations of parameters and evaluation, may be useful for other studies.

Automated detection of gray matter XXXX using optimized voxel-based morphometry: a systematic approach.

@entity6795 :: ('MESH:D054220', 'Disease') :: ['cortical dysplasias', 'MCD', 'Malformations of cortical development'] @entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity302 :: ('MESH:D004827', 'Disease') :: ['epilepsy'] @entity600 :: ('MESH:D000014', 'Disease') :: ['malformations']
@entity600 :: (MESH:D000014,Disease) :: ['malformations']
