Magnetic resonance image synthesis. Clinical implementation

Magnetic resonance (MR) image synthesis is a technique enabling the retrospective optimization of scanning parameters. This paper describes the methods used to enable the clinical implementation of this technique. It is shown that effective synthetic images can be generated from only three acquired images per slice. Data for 16 slices and TR times of 500 and 2000 ms can be efficiently acquired in a multi-slice multi-echo dual-TR pulse sequence. Computation of T1, T2, and density images and the subsequent synthesis of images for arbitrary TR and TE times can be performed at high speed with dedicated hardware. The method is seen as one of standardizing acquisition protocols and thereby improving patient throughput. Specific clinical applications are discussed.