Systematic review of reconstruction techniques for accelerated quantitative MRI

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics
• Computer Science

Background:

• Accelerated quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) is crucial for reducing scan times.
• Undersampling artifacts are a major challenge in accelerated qMRI.
• Developing effective reconstruction techniques is vital for clinical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and categorize techniques addressing undersampling artifacts in accelerated qMRI.
• To provide a unified mathematical framework for understanding these techniques.
• To identify trends, applications, and research gaps in the field.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search across major scientific databases (Embase, Medline, Web of Science, etc.) up to July 2022.
• Inclusion of studies proposing reconstruction techniques for accelerated qMRI.
• Categorization of reviewed studies based on their underlying methodology.

Main Results:

• A total of 292 studies were categorized, offering a technical overview of each method.
• Techniques were analyzed within a unified mathematical framework.
• Distribution analysis revealed trends in publication over time, application domains (primarily brain scans), and parameters (relaxometry).

Conclusions:

• There is a growing body of research on accelerated qMRI reconstruction techniques.
• Current techniques are predominantly validated for relaxometry and brain imaging.
• The review highlights existing trends and identifies potential research gaps for future development.