A metric to access the noise error propagation in phase-based MR-EPT reconstruction

Motivation: To devise a metric to assess the extent of noise amplification in MR-EPT reconstruction algorithms. Goal(s): We explore the correlation between the proposed metric and noise amplification for phase-based conductivity reconstructions. Approach: This study conducted experiments using a concentric cylindrical simulated phantom with uniform electrical properties. Additionally, the proposed metric was applied to in-vivo data. Results: This metric serves as an indicator of the reliability of the reconstructed conductivity maps. the size of the Laplacian kernel and the chosen weighting method significantly impact the metric. Impact: This work reveals that the power of a designed MR-EPT reconstruction kernel acts as a noise error propagation factor in the MR-EPT conductivity reconstruction. Consequently, this map can offer insights into the reliability of reconstructed conductivity map.