Normal cohorts in automated brain atrophy estimation: how many healthy subjects to include?

ConclusionAt least 15 subjects should be included in age- and sex-specific normal templates for consistent brain atrophy estimation. In the study ’s context, qualitative interpretation of regional atrophy allows reliable AD diagnosis with a high inter-reader agreement, irrespective of the NC used.Clinical relevance statementThe influence of normal cohorts (NCs) on automated brain atrophy estimation, typically comparing individual scans to NCs, remains largely unexplored. Our study establishes the minimum number of NC-subjects needed and demonstrates minimal impact of different NCs on regional atrophy estimation.Key Points• Software-based brain atrophy estimation often relies on normal cohorts for comparisons.• At least 15 subjects must be included in an age- and sex-specific normal cohort.• Using different normal cohorts does not influence regional atrophy estimation.
Source: European Radiology - Category: Radiology Source Type: research