Daniel P. Barboriak Lab

DSCoMAN stands for Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast MR ANalysis. The DSCoMAN software implements a method of dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MR analysis that takes into account that the blood-brain barrier is disrupted in patients with high grade gliomas.

How do I download DSCoMAN?

DSCoMAN is available for download for individuals affiliated with industrial or academic institutions.

To get and use DSCoMAN:

1. Fill out the Leave a Reply form on this page with your name and email address.
2. In the Comment section, enter your institution name and mention that you would like to download DSCoMAN.
3. Click the Post Comment button. Your comment will be submitted to us but will not be published on the website.
4. You will receive an email with the link to where you can download the DSCoMAN software and related files.
5. Read and abide by the software disclaimer:

Terms of Agreement:
Copyright ? 2004-2006 by Duke University. All rights reserved.

Permission to copy, use, and modify this software and accompanying documentation for educational and research purposes is hereby granted, without fee and without a signed licensing agreement, provided that the above copyright notice, this paragraph and the following two paragraphs appear in all copies including derivatives of the software. The copyright holder is free to make upgraded or improved versions of the software, provided that they are made readily available to others on these same terms without fee or any other charge. Contact the copyright holder at barbo013@mc.duke.edu for commercial licensing opportunities.

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER BE LIABLE TO ANY PARTY FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF HE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS”. THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER HAS NO OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT, UPDATES, ENHANCEMENTS, OR MODIFICATIONS.

How do I install DSCoMAN?

1. Make a directory called DSCoMAN in your ImageJ plugins folder. Unzip the DSCoMAN software and save it in the DSCoMAN directory in your plugins folder. The zip file will contain a jar file called DSCoMAN_1.0.jar containing the DSCoMAN classes. The zip file will also contain class files for the ROITimeCourse and the HyperVolume plugins used by the DSCoMAN software.Note: The ROITimeCourse and the HyperVolume class files are also a part of the TOPPCAT package. If you already have TOPPCAT in your ImageJplugins folder, then you do not need to put these class files into your DSCoMAN folder. (ImageJ will give a Duplicate Command warning, if you have multiple classes with the same name in your plugins folder).
2. Download the required utility file “DBLAB_1.0.zip” from the DSCoMAN download page. Unzip this file and save it into the main ImageJ plugins folder i.e. ImageJ_Home/plugins where Image_Home is the home directory of your ImageJ installation. This will save the DBLAB.jar into the main plugins folder.  Note: If you had a previous version of DBLAB.jar in your Imageplugins folder, overwrite it with the latest DBLAB.jar available on the DSCoMAN webpage.
3. Restart ImageJ. You should see three different items under DSCoMAN in the plugins menu: Boxerman Weisskoff, DSCoMAN GUI and Raw Perfusion. The DSCoMAN GUI is a user interface for calling other plugins. The Boxerman Weisskoff plugin generates the corrected rCBV map using the methods described by Boxerman et al in this paper. The Raw Perfusion plugin generates maps of parameters such as Time To Peak (TTP), relative Mean Transit Time (rMTT) and relative Cerebral Blood Flow (rCBF).

I am interested in DSCoMAN. What kind of documentation do you have available?

• The DSCoMAN User manual is available here.
• The description of methods implemented in DSCoMAN is available in this paper.

What kind of hardware / software is required to use DSCoMAN?

DSCoMAN is designed as modular plugins to the ImageJ software package, a well-known public domain open source Java-based image processing program authored and maintained by Wayne Rasband at the National Institute of Mental Health (rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/). The software is written in Java, and can be run on Windows, Mac, and Linux / Unix operating systems.

What kind of imaging data is needed to use DSCoMAN?

DSCoMAN software uses images acquired from dynamic susceptibility MR imaging as input. The images can be in any format that can be opened by ImageJ. (For example, DICOM, uncompressed tif, jpg, or Analyze image).

What methods does DSCoMAN use?

The DSCoMAN software implements the methods described in the paper: Boxerman JL, Schmainda KM, Weisskoff RM. Relative Cerebral Blood Volume Maps Corrected for Contrast Agent Extravasation Significantly Correlate with Glioma Tumor Grade, Whereas Uncorrected Maps do not. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2006;27:859-67

The cerebral blood volume maps corrected using the methods described in this paper were shown to more accurately correlate with tumor grade in patients with glioma than uncorrected methods.

How can I be sure that DSCoMAN was correctly installed?

Unfortunately, test data for DSCoMAN is not available at this time.

What is the easiest way to stay informed about new software releases?

• By email: Click on the “Contact Us” link on the left side of the lab homepage. In the Comments field type in keyword “Mailing List,” and we will send you periodic email about software upgrades available from the lab, as well as other news. Let us know if you would like to be taken off of the mailing list.
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