Differentiation of paediatric posterior fossa tumours by the multiregional and multiparametric MRI radiomics approach: a study on the selection of optimal multiple sequences and multiregions

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of a radiomics model based on multiregional and multiparametric MRI to classify paediatric posterior fossa tumours (PPFTs), explore the contribution of different MR sequences and tumour subregions in tumour classification, and examine whether contrast-enhanced T1 weighted (T1C) images have irreplaceable added value. Methods: This retrospective study of 136 PPFTs extracted 11,958 multiregional (enhanced, non-enhanced, and total tumour) features from multiparametric MRI (T1- and T2 weighted, T1C, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and diffusion-weighted images). These features were subjected to fast correlation-based feature selection and classified by a support vector machine based on different tasks. Diagnostic performances of multiregional and multiparametric MRI features, different sequences, and different tumoral regions were evaluated using multiclass and one-vs-rest strategies. Results: The established model achieved an overall area under the curve (AUC) of 0.977 in the validation cohort. The performance of PPFTs significantly improved after replacing T1C with apparent diffusion coefficient maps added into the plain scan sequences (AUC from 0.812 to 0.917). When oedema features were added to contrast-enhancing tumour volume, the performance did not significantly improve. Conclusion: The radiomics model built by multiregional and multiparametric MRI features allows for the excellent distinction of different PPFTs and provides valuable references for the rational adoption of MR sequences. Advances in knowledge: This study emphasized that T1C has limited added value in predicting PPFTs and should be cautiously adopted. Selecting optimal MR sequences may help guide clinicians to better allocate acquisition sequences and reduce medical costs.