Patch-based Motion-compensated Image Filter to Improve SNR of Free-Breathing Whole Heart Cardiac MR Late Gadolinium Enhancement Images at 0.55T

Motivation: Low-field wide-bore MRI scanners are cost-effective but suffer from lower SNR, impacting myocardial LGE image quality.Goal(s): To introduce and evaluate a novel imaging strategy that offers full heart coverage and reduces image count by 50%.Approach: Developed a sequence acquiring 45-55 overlapped short-axis 2-D slices with patch-based motion compensated filtering to enhance SNR.Results: The new technique improved SNR in whole heart coverage LGE imaging at 0.55T, though further studies with scarred myocardium are needed.Impact: This study advances cardiac MRI by demonstrating that a novel LGE imaging technique coupled with MC-KW patch filtering substantially enhances SNR in low-field wide-bore scanners, promising improved myocardial scar detection at reduced costs.