PRL-enhanced SWI: Paramagnetic Rim Lesion-enhanced Susceptibility Weighted Imaging for Multiple Sclerosis

Motivation: The paramagnetic rim lesion (PRL) has recently been suggested as an important biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS). Goal(s): Our goal is to create a new paramagnetic-susceptibility enhancing imaging which accentuates MS lesions, particularly PRL and central vein sign (CVS). Approach: PRL-enhanced SWI is proposed, utilizing a high-pass filtered paramagnetic susceptibility map from χ-separation and an improved mask to differentiate a rim and inside of it. Results: PRL-enhanced SWI provides a conventional SWI-like contrast that is familiar to radiologists and visualizes MS-specific lesions including PRL and CVS with an enhanced contrast-to-noise ratio. Impact: PRL-enhanced SWI shows a potential as a valuable clinical tool for distinguishing MS lesions from non MS-specific lesions and may improve diagnostic accuracy.