Decompose quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) to sub-voxel diamagnetic and paramagnetic components based on gradient-echo MRI data

作者：Jingjia Chen, Nan‐Jie Gong, Khallil Taverna Chaim, Maria Concepción García Otaduy, Chunlei Liu · 发表于：NeuroImage · 年份：2021 · DOI：10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118477 · 被引用次数：113 · 研究领域：Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications、Functional Brain Connectivity Studies、NMR spectroscopy and applications

PURPOSE: A method named DECOMPOSE-QSM is developed to decompose bulk susceptibility measured with QSM into sub-voxel paramagnetic and diamagnetic components based on a three-pool complex signal model. METHODS: Multi-echo gradient echo signal is modeled as a summation of three weighted exponentials corresponding to three types of susceptibility sources: reference susceptibility, diamagnetic and paramagnetic susceptibility relative to the reference. Paramagnetic component susceptibility (PCS) and diamagnetic component susceptibility (DCS) maps are constructed to represent the sub-voxel compartments by solving for linear and nonlinear parameters in the model. RESULTS: Numerical forward simulation and phantom validation confirmed the ability of DECOMPOSE-QSM to separate the mixture of paramagnetic and diamagnetic components. The PCS obtained from temperature-variant brainstem imaging follows the Curie's Law, which further validated the model and the solver. Initial in vivo investigation of human brain images showed the ability to extract sub-voxel PCS and DCS sources that produce visually enhanced contrast between brain structures comparing to threshold QSM.