Abstract #0608

Byrnes T, Barrick T, Clark C, Ladroue C, Bell B

Brain tumour diagnosis is necessary to determine patient management; however surgical biopsy has a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. We studied 36 patients with three brain tumour types using diffusion tensor imaging and tractography. Mean FA, MD, tensor shape metrics and streamline density for both the tumour and its surrounding oedema were computed. Using a principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis we demonstrate the ability of DTI metrics when combined with tractography to discriminate between the 3 most prevalent brain tumour types, namely glioblastoma, meningioma, and metastasis. This technique could potentially reduce the requirement for invasive biopsy.