Optimizing Diffusion Weighting Scheme by Cramer-Rao Lower Bound Analysis and Monte Carlo Simulation

Yong Wang¹, Sheng-Kwei Song¹

Diffusion basis spectrum imaging has recently been developed to resolve the crossing fiber and partial volume effects of inflammation or CSF. However, prototype DBSI diffusion scheme has not been optimized. This study employed Cramer-Rao lower bound analysis to compare the precision of DBSI using a multiple-shell scheme vs. the grid scheme. Monte Carlo simulation was employed to examine the effect of signal quality, diffusion weighting strength, and diffusion gradient distribution on the accuracy and precision of DBSI. We found that grid scheme with higher SNR, stronger diffusion weighting, and optimized diffusion gradient distribution can significantly improve the quality of DBSI solution.