Abstract #2868

The Optimised Projection Image Method for Targeted Tissue Contrast Enhancement.

Amanda Ching Lih Ng^1,2, Nathan Faggian^2,3, Zhaolin Chen^2,4, Jingxin Zhang¹, Gary F. Egan^2,3, Leigh A. Johnston^2,4

¹Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; ²Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; ³Centre for Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; ⁴Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, Australia

In recent years there has been an increased interest in combining phase and magnitude MRI data. We propose an Optimised Projection Image (OPI) technique which removes heuristics involved in combining phase and magnitude to enhance contrast in MRI for a target tissue class. This method fits a bivariate Gaussian mixture model to the magnitude and phase data, and projects the data onto an intensity axis optimised for the model. This algorithm is shown to combine the detail in both magnitude and phase images to create an image with enhanced edge definition and structural detail in comparison to the original images.