Evaluation of MR-SENSE Reconstruction by Filtering Effect and Spatial Resolution of the Sensitivity Map for the Simulation-Based Linear Coil Array

s: Parallel imaging technique can provide several advantages for a multitude of MRI applications. Especially,in SENSE technique, sensitivity maps were always required in order to determine the reconstruction matrix, there-fore, a number of difference approaches using sensitivity information from coils have been demonstrated to improveof image quality. Moreover, many filtering methods were proposed such as adaptive matched filter and nonlinear dif-fusion technique to optimize the suppression of background noise and to improve of image quality. In this study, weperformed SENSE reconstruction using computer simulations to confirm the most suitable method for the feasibilityof filtering effect and according to changing order of polynomial fit that were applied on variation of spatial resolutionof sensitivity map. The image was obtained at 0.32T(Magfinder II, Genpia, Korea) MRI system using spin-echo pulsesequence(TR/TE = 500/20 ms, FOV = 300 mm, matrix = 128×128, thickness = 8 mm). For the simulation, obtainedimage was multiplied with four linear-array coil sensitivities which were formed of 2D-gaussian distribution and theimage was complex white gaussian noise was added. Image processing was separated to apply two methods whichwere polynomial fitting and filtering according to spatial resolution of sensitivity map and each coil image was sub-sampled corresponding to reduction factor(r-factor) of 2 and 4. The results were compared to mean value of geometyfactor(g-factor) and artifact power(AP) according to r-factor 2 and 4. Our results were represented while changingof spatial resolution of sensitivity map and r-factor, polynomial fit methods were represented the better results com-pared with general filtering methods. Although our result had limitation of computer simulation study instead ofapplying to experiment and coil geometric array such as linear, our method may be useful for determination of optimalsensitivity map in a linear coil array.Key words: SENSE, sensitivity map, polynomial fitting, low pass filtering, spatial resolution