Identifying Subvoxel Diamagnetic and Paramagnetic Components in Liver and Spleen Using DECOMPOSE-QSM

Motivation: Fibrotic liver, a condition that may cause cirrhosis if untreated, often contains both paramagnetic iron and diamagnetic collagen. While quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) calculates the voxel-wise tissue susceptibility, it cannot distinguish the competing effect of iron and collagen within a voxel. Goal(s): The purpose of this work is to identify sub-voxel paramagnetic and diamagnetic susceptibility sources within the liver and spleen. Approach: For this purpose, we applied the DECOMPOSE-QSM method to abdominal 1.5T MR images of patients with various levels of iron overload. Results: The resulting paramagnetic and diamagnetic susceptibility maps demonstrated improved contrast compared to bulk susceptibility maps provided by QSM. Impact: Identifying sub-voxel paramagnetic and diamagnetic sources within the liver through DECOMPOSE-QSM can facilitate the diagnosis of conditions such as liver fibrosis and hepatic iron overload.