Meeting Banner
Abstract #2573

Comparing Anisotropic Diffusion Filters: Enhancement of 23Na MRI of Human Kidney

Frank G. Zoellner1, Christoph M. Decker1, Simon Konstandin1, Lothar R. Schad1

1Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany


In-vivo MR imaging of sodium is limited due to its electro-physiological characteristics. A logical step forward is to enhance image intensity by applying post-processing filters while Gibbs ringing could also be suppressed. The increase in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by linear filters as previously proposed is paid by a loss in resolution (blurring). Filters that preserve contours while removing noise are anisotropic diffusion filters (AND). The aim of this study was to compare different anisotropic filters for enhancing sodium MR images of the kidney.