MR imaging artifacts and parallel imaging techniques with calibration scanning: a new twist on old problems

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Biophysics

Background:

• Parallel magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is increasingly used to improve spatial and temporal resolution by reducing phase encodings.
• This technique requires coil sensitivity information, typically obtained via calibration images.
• Acquiring calibration images is efficient but prone to corruption, potentially causing reconstruction errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the artifacts associated with parallel MR imaging.
• To understand how parallel MR imaging alters conventional artifacts.
• To highlight challenges in image interpretation due to these artifacts.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of image reconstruction in parallel MR imaging.
• Identification and characterization of artifacts specific to parallel MR imaging.
• Comparison of artifact appearance between conventional and parallel MR imaging.

Main Results:

• Parallel MR imaging introduces novel artifacts and modifies the appearance of traditional ones.
• Artifacts can be exacerbated in parallel MR imaging, complicating interpretation.
• Calibration image quality directly impacts reconstruction accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Parallel MR imaging presents unique artifact challenges that can hinder clinical interpretation.
• Awareness of these artifacts is essential for accurate diagnosis using parallel MR imaging.
• Further research may be needed to mitigate artifact severity and improve image quality.