Accelerated MRI thermometry by direct estimation of temperature from undersampled k-space data

Abstract

Purpose Acceleration of magnetic resonance (MR) thermometry is desirable for several applications of MR-guided focused ultrasound, such as those requiring greater volume coverage, higher spatial resolution, or higher frame rates. Methods We propose and validate a constrained reconstruction method that estimates focal temperature changes directly from k-space without spatial or temporal regularization. A model comprising fully-sampled baseline images is fit to undersampled k-space data, which removes aliased temperature maps from the solution space. Reconstructed temperature maps are compared to maps reconstructed using parallel imaging (iterative self-consistent parallel imaging reconstruction [SPIRiT]) and conventional hybrid thermometry, and temporally constrained reconstruction thermometry. Results Temporal step response simulations demonstrate finer temporal resolution and lower error in 4×-undersampled radial k-space reconstructions compared to temporally constrained reconstruction. Simulations show that the k-space method can achieve higher accelerations with multiple receive coils. Phantom heating experiments further demonstrate the algorithm's advantage over reconstructions relying on parallel imaging alone to overcome undersampling artifacts. In vivo model error comparisons show the algorithm achieves low temperature error at higher acceleration factors (up to 32× with a radial trajectory) than compared reconstructions. Conclusion High acceleration factors can be achieved using the proposed temperature reconstruction algorithm, without sacrificing temporal resolution or accuracy. Magn Reson Med 73:1914-1925, 2015.