MREJ: MRE elasticity reconstruction on ImageJ

Abstract

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a promising method for health evaluation and disease diagnosis. It makes use of elastic waves as a virtual probe to quantify soft tissue elasticity. The wave actuator, imaging modality and elasticity interpreter are all essential components for an MRE system. Efforts have been made to develop more effective actuating mechanisms, imaging protocols and reconstructing algorithms. However, translating MRE wave images into soft tissue elasticity is a nontrivial issue for health professionals. This study contributes an open-source platform - MREJ - for MRE image processing and elasticity reconstruction. It is established on the widespread image-processing program ImageJ. Two algorithms for elasticity reconstruction were implemented with spatiotemporal directional filtering. The usability of the method is shown through virtual palpation on different phantoms and patients. Based on the results, we conclude that MREJ offers the MRE community a convenient and well-functioning program for image processing and elasticity interpretation.