Acceleration of Magnetic Resonance Elastography using a Novel Distributed Encoding Technique

Motivation: Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) data quality is susceptible to poor data quality from subject motion and long scan times. Goal(s): A novel sampling technique and estimation scheme was developed and implemented to improve flexibility and acquisition time of MRE. Approach: The technique utilizes non-traditional sampling directions in an optimized encoding matrix to collect data efficiently to be used in a novel algorithm for estimating harmonic displacement fields. This allows for acquisition acceleration or flexibility in the data sampled to be rejected in post-processing if it is distorted. Results: Scans were acquired 2.3x faster than standard methods with 95.2% multiscale structural image similarity. Impact: A novel sampling and estimation scheme demonstrated here can be used to improve the application of magnetic resonance elastography. This is accomplished through prospective reduction in sampling, reducing acquisition time, and retrospective volume rejection, circumventing distortion introduced by subject motion.