Q-space Trajectory Imaging with tensor-valued diffusion encoding for clinical usage in temporal lobe epilepsy

Motivation: Drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy requires reliable identification of epileptogenic brain regions for surgical planning, here Q-space Trajectory Imaging (QTI) could provide microstructural information complementary to clinical MRI. Goal(s): Assessing the reproducibility of key QTI parameters (μFA, MKA, MKI) across two distinct protocols to determine future protocol choice. Approach: Four subjects underwent QTI imaging on a 3T MRI scanner, including one scan-rescan. Two protocols were compared to evaluate variability across subjects, regions, and scan-rescan. Results: Protocol 2, with higher SNR, showed lower scan-rescan variability, while Protocol 1's elevated MKI values in certain regions suggested potential false positives, highlighting the need for careful protocol selection. Impact: This study helps scientists select more reliable QTI diffusion protocols for TLE imaging, possibly enabling more accurate identification of epileptogenic brain regions for surgical intervention. It is demonstrated that small changes in acquisition parameters can significantly impact parameter estimates.