access icon free Diffusion sensitivity enhancement filter for raw DWIs

In this study, a post-processing filter to enhance diffusion sensitivity, resulting in larger intensity changes in regions with the abrupt transition of local diffusivity in raw diffusion weighted image (DWI) volumes. Weights computed using a non-linear three-dimensional neighbourhood operation are assigned to each voxel within the neighbourhood, with the weighted average representative of the enhanced DWI. The processed images exhibit better distinction among regions with differing levels of physical diffusion. While the resulting improvements in diffusion sensitivity are highlighted with the help of colour maps, parametric maps, and tractography, implications of the filtering process to recover missing information is illustrated in terms of ability to restore portions of fibre tracts which are otherwise absent in the unprocessed diffusion tensor imaging. Quantitative evaluation of the filtering process is performed using a metric representative of the estimated b-value, which is the consolidation machine parameters used for DWI acquisition.

Inspec keywords: brain; medical image processing; biodiffusion; biomedical MRI

Other keywords: abrupt transition; raw DWIs; raw diffusion weighted image volumes; diffusion sensitivity enhancement filter; unprocessed diffusion tensor imaging; local diffusivity; nonlinear three-dimensional neighbourhood operation; weights; resulting improvements; physical diffusion; processed images; enhanced DWI; larger intensity changes; filtering process; weighted average representative; post-processing filter

Subjects: Biology and medical computing; Medical magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy; Optical, image and video signal processing; Biomedical magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy; Patient diagnostic methods and instrumentation; Computer vision and image processing techniques

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