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

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2021-11, Vol.242, p.118477-118477, Article 118477
• Main Authors: Chen, Jingjia, Gong, Nan-Jie, Chaim, Khallil Taverna, Otaduy, Maria Concepción García, Liu, Chunlei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Approximation; Brain; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain stem; Computer Simulation; Decompose; Diamagnetic; Gradient-recalled echo; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Mathematical models; Neuroimaging; Optimization; Paramagnetic; Phantoms, Imaging; QSM; Spheres; Sub-voxel; Susceptibility
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118477

•A method named DECOMPOSE-QSM is developed to decompose sub-voxel paramagnetic and diamagnetic susceptibilities only use multi-echo GRE data.•The method is validated with numerical simulations, phantom, ex vivo and in vivo experiments.•The resulting susceptibility composition maps reveal more detailed subregion structures than conventional QSM.•The proposed method may be applied to various susceptibility-based studies. 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. 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. 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.