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SENSE phase‐constrained magnitude reconstruction with iterative phase refinement
Author(s) -
Lew Calvin,
Pineda Angel R.,
Clayton David,
Spielman Dan,
Chan Frandics,
Bammer Roland
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.21284
Subject(s) - aliasing , magnitude (astronomy) , sense (electronics) , phase (matter) , algorithm , sensitivity (control systems) , computer science , noise (video) , iterative reconstruction , mathematics , mathematical optimization , image (mathematics) , artificial intelligence , undersampling , physics , quantum mechanics , astronomy , electronic engineering , electrical engineering , engineering
Conventional sensitivity encoding (SENSE) reconstruction is based on equations in the complex domain. However, for many MRI applications only the magnitude is relevant. If there exists an estimate of the underlying phase information, a magnitude‐only phase‐constrained reconstruction can help to improve the conditioning of the SENSE reconstruction problem. Consequently, this reduces g ‐factor‐related noise enhancement. In previous attempts at phase‐constrained SENSE reconstruction, image quality was hampered by strong aliasing artifacts resulting from inadequate phase estimates and high sensitivity to phase errors. If a full‐resolution phase image is used, a significant reduction in aliasing errors and better noise properties compared to SENSE can be obtained. An iterative scheme that improves the phase estimate to better approximate the phase is presented. The mathematical framework of the new approach is provided together with comparisons of conventional SENSE, phase‐constrained SENSE, and the new phase‐refinement method. Both theory and experimental verification demonstrate significantly better noise performance at high reduction factors, i.e., close to the theoretical limit. For applications that need only magnitude data, an iterative phase‐constrained SENSE reconstruction can provide substantial SNR improvement over SENSE reconstruction and less artifacts than phase‐constrained SENSE. Magn Reson Med 58:910–921, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.