Real-time MR diffusion tensor and Q-ball imaging using Kalman filtering

Abstract

Magnetic resonance diffusion imaging (dMRI) has become an established research tool for the investigation of tissue structure and orientation. In this paper, we present a method for real time processing of diffusion tensor and Q-ball imaging. The basic idea is to use Kaiman filtering framework to fit either the linear tensor or Q-ball model. Because the Kalman filter is designed to be an incremental algorithm, it naturally enables updating the model estimate after the acquisition of any new diffusionweighted volume. Processing diffusion models and maps during ongoing scans provides a new useful tool for clinicians, especially when it is not possible to predict how long a subject may remain still in the magnet. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.