Table 2. Mean values (± standard deviation) of texture parameters and ADC parameter.
The highly significant p-values observed demonstrate that the texture within NAWM is different when compared to MS lesions (enhanced or unenhanced), suggesting differences in the actual structure of the two tissues. Entropy was found higher in enhanced lesions when compared to unenhanced ones, suggesting that the randomness of gray levels was higher. This was confirmed by the lower Homogeneity and Energy in this type of lesion. Overall, this may suggest that the histologic substrate of enhancing lesions is more heterogeneous; an assumption that, however, needs to be investigated on experimental models allowing comparison between texture patterns and anatomopathological substrate to be confirmed.
| enhancing lesion (EL) | non-enhancing lesion (NEL) | NAWM | p EL vs NAWM | p NEL vs NAWM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 24.3 ± 20.9 | 41.0 ± 19.5 | 84.3 ± 34.3 | 4.3 10−13 | 8.0 10−9 |
| Entropy | 208 ± 29.2 | 182 ± 26.1 | 131 ± 32.6 | 3.6 10−13 | 2.6 10−9 |
| Contrast | 11 ± 8.0 | 4.7 ± 3.4 | 1.6 ± 0.7 | 8.2 10−15 | 1.5 10−11 |
| Homogeneity | 121 ± 29.1 | 151 ± 22.1 | 189 ± 19.5 | 1.0 10−13 | 7.5 10−10 |
| Correlation | 52.8 ± 28.1 | 26.9 ± 13.9 | 7.3 ± 2.8 | 1.1 10−15 | 3.6 10−14 |
| Inv. Diff. Moment | 123 ± 32.5 | 156 ± 23.3 | 195 ± 18.7 | 1.1 10−13 | 5.9 10−10 |
| Sum average | 150 ± 32.9 | 122 ± 20.8 | 79.0 ± 12.6 | 1.1 10−13 | 5.7 10−13 |
| Sum variance | 81.7 ± 31.3 | 67.1 ± 21.7 | 45 ± 9.7 | 2.6 10−10 | 3.5 10−7 |
| Difference variance | 99.3 ± 29.8 | 77.3 ± 17.6 | 59.9 ± 10.3 | 7.2 10−11 | 4.4 10−6 |
| ADC (10 −6 mm 2 .s -1 ) | 1014 ± 227.8 | 1046 ± 168.4 | 751 ± 70.9 | 2.7 10−10 | 4.9 10−12 |
| SRE | 0.004 ± 0.002 | 0.006 ± 0.002 | 0.012 ± 0.003 | 8.6 10−16 | 6.9 10−14 |
| LRE | 322 ± 127 | 213 ± 74.1 | 96.0 ± 24.8 | 5.8 10−16 | 3.5 10−14 |
| GLN | 49 ± 44 | 86 ± 73 | 19 ± 22 | 2.0 10−8 | 2.8 10−12 |
| RLN | 13 ± 12 | 26 ± 14 | 20 ± 23 | 3.9 10−3 | 2.0 10−3 |
| RP | 0.75 ± 0.12 | 0.62 ± 0.10 | 0.50 ± 0.12 | 2.2 10−12 | 2.7 10−6 |
| LGRE | 0.80 ± 0.09 | 0.72 ± 0.08 | 0.56 ± 0.12 | 2.4 10−13 | 6.9 10−9 |
| HGRE | 2.73 ± 1.59 | 3.98 ± 1.58 | 7.94 ± 4.72 | 2.9 10−12 | 3.2 10−6 |
| SRLGE | 0.003 ± 0.001 | 0.004 ± 0.001 | 0.006 ± 0.002 | 6.4 10−12 | 4.2 10−7 |
| SRHGE | 0.01 ± 0.01 | 0.02 ± 0.01 | 0.09 ± 0.06 | 9.2 10−16 | 1.7 10−12 |
| LRLGE | 256 ± 116 | 152 ± 63 | 55 ± 21 | 3.2 10−16 | 5.6 10−14 |
| LRHGE | 851 ± 402 | 869 ± 371 | 734 ± 459 | 7.0 10−2 | 3.0 10−2 |
Statistical differences assessed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (significance level p < 0.0167).