Interpolation-based super-resolution reconstruction: effects of slice thickness

Standard clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is acquired in two-dimensions where the in-plane resolution is higher than the slice select direction. These acquisitions include axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. To date, there have been few attempts to combine the information of these three orthogonal orientations. This paper aims to take advantage of the different in-plane resolution acquired from each plane orientation and combine them into one volume in order to attain a higher resolution image. This combination of MRI data will allow the detection of smaller areas that would otherwise be missed using only one slice orientation. A comparison of slice thicknesses along with image registration is performed. The mean-squared error and peak signal-to-noise were computed for quantitative assessment. MRI and phantom scans and joint histograms were used for qualitative assessment.