Introducing an Automated Low-Contrast Detectability Test for the ACR MRI Phantom based on a Statistical Approach

Motivation: The low-contrast object detectability test in the ACR phantom is conventionally performed manually, which results in low reproducibility of measurements due to intra- and inter-rater variability. Goal(s): To automate the test in MRI systems and verify its reliability against the manual procedure. Approach: The algorithm creates 1-dimensional image profiles and compares it with the known structure of the low-contrast objects using the general linear method test. Results: Raters demonstrated substantial to almost perfect intra-rater agreement (0.786 and 0.841), and the algorithm showed perfect intra-rater agreement (1). Raters exhibited substantial inter-rater agreement (0.807), while raters and the algorithm averaged moderate inter-rater agreement (0.583). Impact: We implemented an automated method for low-contrast object detectability of the ACR MRI phantom. The manual and automated methods showed strong intra- and inter-rater agreement, supporting its potential clinical use.