Tractfinder for paediatric optic radiation segmentation

Motivation: Current tractography pipelines can be time-consuming and highly dependent on user input and expertise. Goal(s): Here we investigate how well Tractfinder, an atlas-based tract segmentation tool, performs in tract segmentation compared to tractography in healthy children and a paediatric patient cohort. Approach: Diffusion tensor and NODDI measures were compared in Tractfinder and tractography reconstructions. Segmentation overlap was also quantified using the Dice similarity coefficient. Results: Tractfinder reconstructions are visually comparable to tractography, with systematically lower quantitative measures. The statistical relationship between measures in healthy controls and patients is preserved when using Tractfinder. Impact: Manual tasks and requirement for user-expertise in tractography pipelines hinder utilisation in clinical settings. We show Tractfinder's potential for fast, reliable tract segmentation in paediatric patients and control datasets, reducing workload and eliminating the need for specialist tractography training.