Parallelbildgebung

Parallelbildgebung is a technique used in medical imaging, particularly in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), to accelerate image acquisition. It works by acquiring data from multiple receiver coils simultaneously, rather than relying solely on longer acquisition times with a single coil. Each coil in an MRI scanner captures a slightly different view of the magnetic field. By combining the signals from these multiple coils, researchers and clinicians can reconstruct a high-quality image much faster than traditional methods.

The core principle behind parallel imaging is the exploitation of spatial information encoded in the signals from individual receiver coils. Algorithms are then employed to unfold this aliased data, effectively "folding" the information from multiple coils into a single, complete image. This acceleration comes at the cost of some signal-to-noise ratio reduction, but advancements in coil technology and reconstruction algorithms have largely mitigated this drawback.

Several parallel imaging techniques exist, with well-known examples including SMASH (Simultaneous Acquisition of Spatial Harmonics) and SENSE (Sensitivity Encoding). These methods allow for shorter scan times, which can reduce motion artifacts, improve patient comfort, and enable new imaging sequences that were previously too slow to be practical. The ability to acquire images faster has had a significant impact on various MRI applications, from routine diagnostics to advanced research.