Denoising highly accelerated T2*-weighted brain MRI using a deep learning convolutional neural network

The scan time of high-resolution T2*-weighted brain imaging using 3D echo-planar imaging (3D-EPI) can be significantly reduced by applying Controlled Aliasing In Parallel Imaging Results In Higher Acceleration (CAIPIRINHA). However, this comes at the expense of a significant reduction in image quality. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using a deep learning-based approach (DnCNN) to denoise highly accelerated 3D-EPI scans acquired at 3T. Our results show that DnCNN was able to efficiently denoise highly accelerated T2*-weighted brain scans while preserving anatomical and pathological details.