Flow 2.0: A Standardized Toolbox for Real-Time Phase-Contrast MRI of Neurofluid Dynamics

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics
• Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

• Real-time phase-contrast MRI (RT-PC) allows continuous physiological flow quantification but suffers from complex post-processing.
• Existing workflows for RT-PC are fragmented, hindering broader clinical and research applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop Flow 2.0, a standardized toolbox integrating segmentation, quantification, visualization, and signal analysis for RT-PC.
• To create a unified environment for processing RT-PC data, addressing limitations of current fragmented workflows.

Main Methods:

• Flow 2.0 incorporates automated ROI segmentation, background phase correction, and velocity aliasing correction.
• Features include interactive waveform visualization, cardiac cycle reconstruction, and Hermitian-preserving frequency-domain processing.
• A phase-resolved respiratory modulation module systematically evaluates respiratory influences on flow dynamics.

Main Results:

• Automated processing of RT-PC datasets (500 frames) was achieved in seconds with preserved signal integrity.
• Cardiac cycle reconstruction and respiratory phase classification were consistently applied across different breathing conditions.
• The phase-resolved analysis module successfully visualized and quantified respiratory modulation on flow parameters like mean flow and stroke volume.

Conclusions:

• Flow 2.0 offers a standardized, extensible toolbox for RT-PC MRI, simplifying complex analyses.
• It enables reproducible, phase-resolved, and multi-parametric quantification of neurofluid dynamics.
• The unified environment facilitates advanced analysis of physiological flow dynamics previously limited by fragmented workflows.