Integrated Diffusion Image Operator (iDIO): A tool for automated configuration and processing of diffusion MRI data

Abstract

The preprocessing of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data involves numerous steps, including the corrections for head motion, susceptibility distortion, low signal-to-noise ratio, and signal drifting. Researchers or clinical practitioners often need to configure different preprocessing steps depending on disparate image acquisition schemes, which increases the technical threshold for dMRI analysis for non-expert users. This could cause disparities in data processing approaches and thus hinder the comparability between studies. To make the dMRI data processing steps transparent and adapt to various dMRI acquisition schemes for researchers, we propose a semi-automated pipeline tool for dMRI named integrated Diffusion Image Operator or iDIO. This pipeline integrates features from a wide range of advanced dMRI software tools and targets at providing a one-click solution for dMRI data analysis, via automatic configuration for a set of optimal processing steps based on the image header of the input data. Additionally, the pipeline provides options for post-processing, such as estimation of diffusion tensor metrics and whole-brain tractography-based connectomes reconstruction using common brain atlases. The iDIO pipeline also outputs an easy-to-interpret quality control report to facilitate users to assess the data quality. To keep the transparency of data processing, the execution log and all the intermediate images produced in the iDIO's workflow are accessible. The goal of iDIO is to reduce the barriers for clinical or non-specialist users to adopt the state-of-art dMRI processing steps.