8-fold Accelerated TSE MRI: First Clinical Results of an End-to-End DL Reconstruction Method for Combined SMS and Parallel Imaging Acceleration

Motivation: Current clinically available DL image reconstruction techniques can reconstruct 6-fold accelerated knee MRI with excellent image quality. However, higher acceleration factors reduced image quality, requiring novel image reconstruction approaches. Goal(s): To evaluate a novel end-to-end DL image reconstruction method for 8-fold combined simultaneous multislice (SMS) and parallel imaging (PI) acceleration of TSE MRI. Approach: Twenty 8-fold accelerated knee MRI studies were acquired and reconstructed using a novel end-to-end DL-based reconstruction network that jointly handles SMS and Pl acceleration. Results: Image quality and detection rates of abnormalities were comparable to the clinical standard with lower acceleration factors. Impact: First clinical results for 8-fold accelerated knee MRI using a dedicated end-to-end DL reconstruction approach for combined SMS and PI acceleration demonstrate image quality comparable to slower standard-of-care MRI, holding promise for significantly faster clinical TSE MRI in the future.