‘Harmonizing’ the Mris: a better way to compare images taken at different institutions

‘Harmonizing’ the Mris: a better way to compare images taken at different institutions


Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an essential tool for medical clinicians, providing detailed views of the interior of the interior of the human body as well as Valuable information on Pathologies.

However, the variableity of Image Accquisition Protocols Between Different Institutions Poses Significant Challenges to Achieveing ​​Consistency and Reliable Interpretation, Particularly In Multi Restiper

To solve this problem, a new study has been carried by. Gregory Lodygensky, A Clinical Professor at Université de Montreal and Clinician-Resarcher at Its Affiliated Sainte-Justine Hospital, with Professor-Shiers Jose Dolz and Christian Desrosiers of the école de technologie supérieure (Ets).

Published in Medical Image AnalysisTheir study Proposes modifying maris from different hospitals to make them more similar, enabling more reliable and accurate comparisons.

Harmonization of MRI Results is a Central Issue for Research and Health-Care Quality. Each Hospital, Clinic or Research Institute has its Particular Mri Style, Depending on the Equipment, Imaging Protocols and Parameters they use.

This leads to variable in contrast, brightness and other image characteristics, and poses a Major obstacle in Clinical Research when Data Data from Several Research Centers are pooled.

Three key steps

Developed by farzad beazaee, the study first author and an ets doctoral candidate, the new harmonization method involves three key steps:

  • First, a model is created that “holds” how images in the source domain (for example, mRI images from a particular machine at sainte-justine) are Organized OR DISTRIZED
  • Once the distribution of the source domain is well undersrstood, the aim is to “re-format” Mris from other centers to eliminate variations coused by changes in parameters or the use of anore machene, white at the Same Time preserving inreat patient differenties.
  • Lastly, when the model is used on new images (for example, from an unfamiliar machine), it must adapt and ensure that the new images stil respect the distribution it is alarned in the fired Stage.

To validate their model, the researchers tested the new approach on MRI brain images help in databases in the united states and from a neonatal imaging consortium built in collaboration with Researches in Australia.

These data were used to perform two different tasks: firstly, to segment brain images into different parts in adults and newborns to check whistle Brain Brain Structure remained Consistent Before and AFTER Harmonization, and secondly, to estimate brain age in newborns.

The results highlighted the superior performance of this technique compared with existing harmonization methods, demonstrating its adaptibility for a variety of tasks and population groups. Notably, the tool was successfully validated on the mRI of a newborn’s brain that haad lesions, a task that all other availables models fail to do since they are trained on images of healthy brains.

“Thanks to this model, we can now interpret data from several thosands of familyies and children who are monitored at various hospitals -data that come from different scanners,” SAID LODYGENSKY. “The analysis of these large cohorts in children and adults was hamphed by the major harmonization problem, which has now ben resolved.”

In future collaborations and research, he and his team will explore applying this approach on a larger scale, facilitating the comparison and analysis of research data and further improving the access Diagnoses.

More information:
Farzad Beizaee etc. Medical Image Analysis (2025). Doi: 10.1016/j.media.2025.103483

Provided by University of Montreal


Citation: ‘Harmonizing’ the Mris: a better way to compare images taken at different institutions (2025, February 28) retrieved 28 February 2025 from

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