Task-based assessment for neural networks: evaluating undersampled MRI reconstructions based on human observer signal detection

PurposeRecent research explores using neural networks to reconstruct undersampled magnetic resonance imaging. Because of the complexity of the artifacts in the reconstructed images, there is a need to develop task-based approaches to image quality. We compared conventional global quantitative metrics to evaluate image quality in undersampled images generated by a neural network with human observer performance in a detection task. The purpose is to study which acceleration (2×, 3×, 4×, 5×) would be chosen with the conventional metrics and compare it to the acceleration chosen by human observer performance.ApproachWe used common global metrics for evaluating image quality: the normalized root mean squared error (NRMSE) and structural similarity (SSIM). These metrics are compared with a measure of image quality that incorporates a subtle signal for a specific task to allow for image quality assessment that locally evaluates the effect of undersampling on a signal. We used a U-Net to reconstruct under-sampled images with 2×, 3×, 4×, and 5× one-dimensional undersampling rates. Cross-validation was performed for a 500- and a 4000-image training set with both SSIM and MSE losses. A two-alternative forced choice (2-AFC) observer study was carried out for detecting a subtle signal (small blurred disk) from images with the 4000-image training set.ResultsWe found that for both loss functions, the human observer performance on the 2-AFC studies led to a choice of a 2× undersampling, but the SSIM and NRMSE led to a choice of a 3× undersampling.ConclusionsFor this detection task using a subtle small signal at the edge of detectability, SSIM and NRMSE led to an overestimate of the achievable undersampling using a U-Net before a steep loss of image quality between 2×, 3×, 4×, 5× undersampling rates when compared to the performance of human observers in the detection task.