Initial Evaluation of Deep Resolve Boost and Sharp for Cardiac Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Volunteers and Patients

Motivation: Achieving high SNR is a persistent challenge for cardiac DTI. Goal(s): This study aims to apply Deep Resolve Boost (DRB) and Deep Resolve Sharp (DRS) to cardiac DTI to assess their effects on SNR, image quality, and diffusion parameter maps. Approach: DRB and DRS were implemented in a research cardiac DTI sequence and evaluated in 11 volunteers and 3 hypertrophy cardiomyopathy patients in terms of image quality and SNR of diffusion weighted images, diffusion parameter maps, and global mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy values. Results: DRB and DRS achieved SNR enhancement and improved image sharpness for cardiac DTI. Impact: Preliminary results in 11 volunteers and 3 patients show that Deep Resolve Boost and Sharp achieved SNR enhancement and improved image sharpness for cardiac DTI. The fact that it can be deployed on scanners prospectively also enhances its clinical utility.