Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39690177›Full record

ArticleClinical neuroradiology2025

Enhanced Reader Confidence and Differentiation of Calcification from Cerebral Microbleed Diagnosis Using QSM Relative to SWI.

Chris Kang, Pritesh Mehta, Yi S Chang, Rafeeque A Bhadelia, Rafael Rojas, Max Wintermark, Jalal B Andre, Ethan Yang, Magdy Selim, Ajith J Thomas and 6 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Clinical neuroradiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Chris KangDepartment of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Pritesh MehtaDepartment of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 1 Deaconess Road, Rosenberg B90A, 02215, Boston, MA, USA.
Yi S ChangDepartment of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 1 Deaconess Road, Rosenberg B90A, 02215, Boston, MA, USA.
Rafeeque A BhadeliaDepartment of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 1 Deaconess Road, Rosenberg B90A, 02215, Boston, MA, USA.
Rafael RojasDepartment of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 1 Deaconess Road, Rosenberg B90A, 02215, Boston, MA, USA.
Max WintermarkDepartment of Neuroradiology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Jalal B AndreDepartment of Radiology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
Ethan YangDepartment of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 1 Deaconess Road, Rosenberg B90A, 02215, Boston, MA, USA.
Magdy SelimDepartment of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Ajith J ThomasCooper University Healthcare/Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA.
Aristotelis FilippidisDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Yan WenGE Healthcare, Lincoln Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Pascal SpincemailleWeill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Nils D ForkertDepartment of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Yi WangWeill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Salil SomanDepartment of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 1 Deaconess Road, Rosenberg B90A, 02215, Boston, MA, USA. sal@alum.mit.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5887-0717

Funding

StATins Use in intRacerebral hemorrhage patieNts (SATURN)U01NS102289 · NINDS · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI Magdy H Selim · 2019 to 2026
$15.7M
Quantitative Mapping of Substantia Nigra Iron in Parkinson's DiseaseR01NS095562 · NINDS · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · PI SHTILBANS, ALEXANDER, WANG, YI · 2016 to 2022
$3.1M
StAtins Use in intRacereberal hemorrhage patieNts MRI (SATURN MRI) Ancillary StudyUF1NS120871 · NINDS · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI SELIM, MAGDY H, SHOAMANESH, ASHKAN · 2021 to 2021
$2.7M
Improved MRI Detection of Cerebral Microbleeds with Novel Susceptibility MappingR21NS109728 · NINDS · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI SOMAN, SALIL · 2020 to 2021
$491k
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) as a Non-Invasive Imaging Biomarker for Predicting Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's DiseaseR21AG067466 · NIA · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · PI KOVANLIKAYA, ILHAMI, WANG, YI · 2020 to 2020
$466k
NIA NIH HHS R21AG067466NINDS NIH HHS R01NS095562NINDS NIH HHS R21NS109728NINDS NIH HHS U01NS102289NINDS NIH HHS UF1NS120871
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAccurate detection of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) is important for detection of multiple conditions. However, CMBs can be challenging to identify on MR images, especially for distinguishing CMBs from the mimic of calcification. We performed a comparative reader study to assess the diagnostic performance of two primary MR sequences for differentiating CMBs from calcification.

methodsUnder IRB approved exempt retrospective protocol, 49 adult patients with identifiable intracranial hemorrhage who underwent multi-echo 3D Gradient Recall Echo (GRE) using 3T MRI were non-sequentially recruited under a retrospective IRB approved protocol. Multi-echo complex total field inversion quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and susceptibility weighted imaging/phase (SWI/P) images were generated for all patients. 53 lesion ROIs were identified and classified on provided images by an expert panel of three neuroradiologists as either: CMB, Blood, Calcification, or Other. Three additional neuroradiologists subsequently reviewed the same SWI/P and QSM images in independent sessions and designated lesions as either blood and/or calcification using a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical analyses, on lesion classification and reader diagnostic accuracy, reader confidence-level, reader agreement-level, and the predictability of mean susceptibility values between SWI/P and QSM were conducted with logistic regression and calculation of Fleiss' κ, Kendall's w, Krippendorff's α.

resultsAcross all qualitative assessment and quantitative metrics measured (simple accuracy, confidence as degree of ground truth alignment, and inter-rater agreement) QSM outperformed SWI/P. Additionally, logistic regression of average QSM voxel susceptibility achieved near-perfect separation in differentiating between CMB and calcification in the limited number of CMB/Calcification ROIs, indicating a high predictability.

conclusionOur study demonstrates that QSM offers improved detectability and classification of CMBs compared to the conventionally utilized SWI/P sequence. In addition, QSM simplifies the interpretation workflow by reducing the number of requisite images compared with the conventional counterpart, with improved diagnostic confidence.

Indexed as

CalcinosisCerebral HemorrhageMagnetic Resonance ImagingAdultAgedAged, 80 and overDiagnosis, DifferentialFemaleHumansImage Interpretation, Computer-AssistedMaleMiddle AgedObserver VariationReproducibility of ResultsRetrospective StudiesSensitivity and SpecificityBrain calcificationCerebral microbleeds (CMBs)NeuroimagingQuantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM)Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI)

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.