Open Accessb matrix errors in echo planar diffusion tensor imaging
Author(s) -
Boujraf Saïd,
Luypaert Robert,
Osteaux Michel
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of applied clinical medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.83
H-Index - 48
ISSN - 1526-9914
DOI - 10.1120/jacmp.v2i3.2612
Subject(s) - diffusion mri , diffusion , effective diffusion coefficient , nuclear magnetic resonance , tensor (intrinsic definition) , physics , spin echo , matrix (chemical analysis) , signal (programming language) , magnetic resonance imaging , computational physics , chemistry , mathematics , geometry , quantum mechanics , computer science , radiology , medicine , chromatography , programming language
Diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW‐MRI) is a recognized tool for early detection of infarction of the human brain. DW‐MRI uses the signal loss associated with the random thermal motion of water molecules in the presence of magnetic field gradients to derive parameters that reflect the translational mobility of the water molecules in tissues. If diffusion‐weighted images with different values of b matrix are acquired during one individual investigation, it is possible to calculate apparent diffusion coefficient maps that are the elements of the diffusion tensor. The diffusion tensor elements represent the apparent diffusion coefficient of protons of water molecules in each pixel in the corresponding sample. The relation between signal intensity in the diffusion‐weighted images, diffusion tensor, and b matrix is derived from the Bloch equations. Our goal is to establish the magnitude of the error made in the calculation of the elements of the diffusion tensor when the imaging gradients are ignored. PACS number(s): 87.57. –s, 87.61.–c