Susceptibility Quantification in MRI using Phase Gradient Mapping

Luning Wang¹, Qun Zhao¹

Susceptibility quantification in MRI is a novel technique that can be involved in many applications, such as tracking stem cells labeled with super-paramagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles. Because of the tight relationship between susceptibility and magnetic field inhomogeneity, most of the published techniques employ the MR phase images to estimate susceptibility distributions. However, the wrapping effect in MR phase maps is a headachy problem and has to be solved before any further data processing. In this work, we present a new technique that implements the phase gradient mapping (PGM) method to directly calculate the susceptibility distribution.