A rapid, robust multi-echo phase unwrapping method for quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) using strategically acquired gradient echo (STAGE) data acquisition

Purpose: To unwrap multi-echo phase images for quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in a rapid and robust manner without using complicated search algorithms. Background: Since QSM requires unaliased phase images as input, a reliable 3D phase unwrapping step is essential to reconstruct susceptibility maps. However, this is usually one of the most time-consuming steps in QSM, especially for multi-echo data acquisition. Methods: Strategically …