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Published in: Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy 2/2018

01-02-2018 | Medical Imaging

In vivo estimation of normal amygdala volume from structural MRI scans with anatomical-based segmentation

Authors: Achilleas Siozopoulos, Vasilios Thomaidis, Panos Prassopoulos, Aliki Fiska

Published in: Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy | Issue 2/2018

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Abstract

Purpose

Literature includes a number of studies using structural MRI (sMRI) to determine the volume of the amygdala, which is modified in various pathologic conditions. The reported values vary widely mainly because of different anatomical approaches to the complex. This study aims at estimating of the normal amygdala volume from sMRI scans using a recent anatomical definition described in a study based on post-mortem material.

Methods

The amygdala volume has been calculated in 106 healthy subjects, using sMRI and anatomical-based segmentation. The resulting volumes have been analyzed for differences related to hemisphere, sex, and age.

Results

The mean amygdalar volume was estimated at 1.42 cm3. The mean right amygdala volume has been found larger than the left, but the difference for the raw values was within the limits of the method error. No intersexual differences or age-related alterations have been observed.

Conclusion

The study provides a method for determining the boundaries of the amygdala in sMRI scans based on recent anatomical considerations and an estimation of the mean normal amygdala volume from a quite large number of scans for future use in comparative studies.
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Metadata
Title
In vivo estimation of normal amygdala volume from structural MRI scans with anatomical-based segmentation
Authors
Achilleas Siozopoulos
Vasilios Thomaidis
Panos Prassopoulos
Aliki Fiska
Publication date
01-02-2018
Publisher
Springer Paris
Published in
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy / Issue 2/2018
Print ISSN: 0930-1038
Electronic ISSN: 1279-8517
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-017-1915-y

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