Algorithmic development of myelin water imaging based on multi-component T2 analysis

Myelin water fraction (MWF) based on multi-component T2 analysis is one promising biomarker for the myelin in the brain. Two smoothing algorithms are proposed and compared in this study. Then the feasibility of using 6 echoes to determine MWF is investigated. Finally the correlations between T2 weighted, T2-mapping, and myelin water images are clarified. It is found the improved smoothing algorithm only takes 33 seconds (>;1000 seconds for the past) while the results show no significant difference. MWF calculated with 6 echoes accords well with the reference using 32 echoes, which means scanning time can be limited less than 7 minutes for whole brain region. Through the correlation study, it is shown myelin water imaging has more advantages than T2-W and T2-mapping imaging especially on early diagnosis of diseases related to brain tissues, such as multiple sclerosis, demyelination and degradation.