A Toolbox for Optimization of Reconstruction and Post-processing Pipelines in In Vivo $^{31}$P MR Imaging

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive toolbox of reconstruction and processing methods to optimize fast 31P MR imaging pipelines, demonstrating improved SNR and flexibility for different data types at 7T.

Contribution

The authors developed and validated a versatile toolbox with tailored methods for 31P MRI reconstruction and processing, outperforming conventional approaches.

Findings

Adaptive coil combination with Kaiser-Bessel regridding yields highest SNR for GRE data.

Whitened-SVD with Kaiser-Bessel regridding improves MRF data SNR.

MP-PCA denoising is effective for GRE, while compressed sensing benefits MRF data.

Abstract

Background: X-nuclei imaging (e.g. 31P MRI) suffers low SNR due to lower gyromagnetic ratios and tissue concentrations than 1H MRI. Enhancing SNR requires high fields, advanced coils, optimized sequences, and sophisticated reconstruction methods. An optimized pipeline is essential for maximizing SNR in X-nuclei imaging. Purpose: To develop a toolbox of reconstruction and processing methods for fast 31P MR imaging, evaluating optimal pipelines for two data types: 31P-GRE and bSSFP-like MRF imaging. Methods: The toolbox includes coil combination (adaptive and whitened-SVD), k-space filtering, reconstruction (Kaiser-Bessel regridding with FFT and NUFFT), and denoising (compressed sensing and MP-PCA). 31P MR datasets were acquired at 7T using spiral encoding with a double-tuned birdcage coil and a 32-channel phased array. GRE parameters: readout 18.62ms, flip angle 59deg, TR 5400ms, TE 0.3ms. MRF used a bSSFP-like scheme: readout 9.12ms, TR 19.8ms, TE 0.3ms. Results: For GRE data, adaptive coil combination with Kaiser-Bessel regridding (AC-KB) achieved highest mean SNRs: 38 (phantom) and 3.4 (in vivo), outperforming others. For MRF data, whitened-SVD with Kaiser-Bessel regridding yielded an SNR of 18, surpassing AC-KB's 16. MP-PCA denoised GRE effectively; compressed sensing suited MRF data. Conclusion: We demonstrated a toolbox for optimizing fast 31P MR imaging pipelines. Optimal methods depend on acquisition and data. Kaiser-Bessel regridding outperforms NUFFT. Adaptive coil combination and MP-PCA denoising are preferred for GRE data; whitened-SVD and compressed sensing are superior for MRF data. Careful selection of processing methods is crucial, as conventional 1H MRI techniques may not suffice. The toolbox facilitates future investigation for other X-nuclei datasets.